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Wayne County approves $2.5 million grant to help build Access Recovery Center in Dearborn
Summary
The Wayne County Commission approved a $2.5 million grant from opioid settlement funds to support the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) in constructing a 51,000-square-foot Access Recovery Center in Dearborn, part of a roughly $25 million project backed by other public and private funds.
The Wayne County Commission on April 3 approved a $2,500,000 grant services contract to the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) to support the construction of a new Access Recovery Center in Dearborn.
The county’s director and health officer, Dr. Abdul Sayed, described the funding as coming from the county’s opioid settlement allocation and said the contribution is part of a larger financing package. “This is a 2,500,000 allocation, from the county's opioid settlement funding, to construct what we believe is going to be a foundational hub, for substance use, recovery, and care,” Dr. Sayed told commissioners.
The ACCESS leaders said the project is already well advanced in planning and fundraising. Lina Horajli, ACCESS chief operating officer, and Mona Mackey, director of community health and research, said the center will be roughly 51,000 square feet and the organization has raised just over $20 million toward a total projected cost of about $25 million. ACCESS representatives said the site at Michigan Avenue and Wyoming will serve Southwest and West Detroit as well as Dearborn and Dearborn Heights.
Commissioners debated the emergency, immediate-consideration timing of the request. Supporters said the county contribution would act as a capstone to unlock additional federal, philanthropic and local funds; Commissioner Rekke said immediate action was necessary to “prevent deaths” amid rising overdose trends and recent federal funding cuts. Opponents did not prevail; the commission voted to approve the contract. The agreement before the commission included amendments discussed in committee, according to commission counsel.
The county said the $2.5 million will be combined with other sources to finance construction and that the contract allows the county to execute the grant with two one-year renewal options. ACCESS said the center will provide substance use treatment and recovery services to anyone who walks through its doors.
The commission’s approval was unanimous in the public session recorded; the motion was moved and the clerk recorded “motion carries.”
The county staff and ACCESS leaders said construction approvals from municipal permitting were complete and fundraising was nearly finished; ACCESS representatives said they had secured the bulk of the project funding but still needed the county allocation to reach the full funding target and begin construction.
The commission vote authorizes the administration to execute the grant contract and related budget adjustments. The contract documentation identifies the funding source as the county's opioid settlement allocation.
