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Sober‑living group pitches peer‑recovery liaison in police; council weighs staffing, hours and local match
Summary
West Virginia Sober Living Solutions outlined a peer‑recovery specialist program for embedding peers in local police to divert people with substance use disorder from arrest and connect them to treatment. Council discussed partial grant awards and next steps on job description and funding.
Clarksburg — Representatives from West Virginia Sober Living Solutions described a peer‑recovery‑specialist model to the council and staff on April 10 and discussed a related local grant application.
Travis Teets, identified as the program coordinator, told the council the federally funded program (SAMHSA grant administered through the West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy) embeds state‑certified peer recovery support specialists inside law enforcement agencies. Teets said the program aims to provide on‑scene diversion from arrest, reduce repeat criminal justice involvement, and connect people to treatment, housing and other wrap‑around services. He said the current federal grant funds the program through September 2026 and that the model has been implemented in multiple counties in the state.
Council and staff discussed how a locally hired position would complement the embedded peer service: hours of coverage, whether the city should hire a peer, a licensed social worker, or a hybrid, and how the city might use opioid‑settlement funds to support local staffing. Staff handed out emails from the West Virginia First Foundation showing a partial award for an embedded liaison in the police department and a denial on one Resco application; the foundation’s partial award was reported as “just over $37,000,” and staff said that would require an approximately 50% local match for the first year (the match rate was expected to decline in later years).
Council asked staff to return with detailed salary and benefit figures, a job description produced by the police chief, and a modelled schedule (including nights and weekend coverage). Several council members said an initial period of day‑time overlap between the vendor’s peer specialist and a locally hired employee might help build rapport before shifting local staff to evening and weekend coverage. Staff and council also discussed partnering with existing local providers for hiring and training and recommended bringing the West Virginia First Foundation representative or other program partners back to a future meeting to answer questions about match requirements and program logistics.
No formal vote was taken; council directed staff to bring cost estimates, a draft job description and funding options to a subsequent meeting.
