Will County finance committee members voted on May 6 to award $250,000 in opioid settlement funds to Stepping Stones, a Joliet‑based substance use treatment provider, to help pay construction costs for a women‑and‑children residential program.

Paul (presented by Stepping Stones) described the project as a renovated residential treatment center at 1621 Theodore in Joliet that expands services to allow mothers to receive treatment while living with their children. He said the provider has completed renovations and still carried construction debt; Stepping Stones requested $250,000 to reduce the construction line of credit and convert the loan to longer‑term financing. The provider said the facility is one of very few in Illinois that can house women and children together; an on‑site speaker described her own recovery and how the program would have allowed her to stay with her children during treatment.

Committee member Sherry Williams (presenting the committee’s smaller working group’s recommendation) said the group reviewed the application and recommended proceeding; other committee members voiced support and described the request as consistent with the purpose of opioid settlement funds. One committee member said, “this is exactly what the opioid settlement money is intended for.”

A motion to adopt the resolution allocating $250,000 passed by voice vote; the committee did not record a roll call in the meeting transcript excerpt. Committee staff said Stepping Stones’ project and its requests had been evaluated by the committee’s review process; no conditions were attached to the motion as recorded at the meeting.

Committee members asked no substantive procedural changes at the meeting, though members later directed staff to follow routine grant administration and monitoring practices. Stepping Stones thanked the committee and said it would work with county staff on final paperwork and any necessary grant reporting.

Outcome: motion to appropriate $250,000 from opioid settlement funds to Stepping Stones — approved by committee.