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Codington County board approves COSUP-funded peer support and sober housing contracts
Summary
The Codington County Commission approved contracts to fund peer support services and expand sober living using COSUP grant funds; the agreements were reviewed by the state's attorney and will be administered through the county.
Codington County commissioners on April 8 approved two contracts that will use funds from a federal COSUP grant to bring peer support services and additional sober housing to the county.
The measures — a contract with Face It Together for a peer support worker and an agreement with Brothers and Sisters Behind Bars to provide sober living — passed by voice vote. County officials said the contracts are the first step to draw down grant funding the county won earlier this year.
Why it matters: The COSUP (Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program) grant approved for Codington County is described in the meeting as a roughly $1 million award spread over three years. Commissioners and staff said the county has been approved for the grant but has not yet drawn down the funds; the county will administer the contracts and must submit federal reports as part of the drawdown process.
Community services staff described the Face It Together contract as paying for a peer support worker — “an individual with lived experience that is now in sobriety” — who will provide supervision and support and work closely with local partners. “We are very excited to get somebody in our community that can really help us see things from that lived-experience perspective and be a support to individuals,” said Sarah, Community Services Director.
County staff said the peer worker will not have a fixed office but will spend significant time at Brothers and Sisters Behind Bars because of overlap in the populations served. Megan, coordinator at Face It Together, was described by staff as the local contact for the peer support role.
The separate contract with Brothers and Sisters Behind Bars will supplement existing sober-living capacity. “Brothers and Sisters Behind Bars currently has two sober living houses,” Sarah said during the discussion: one for women and one for men. According to staff, the houses typically accommodate about five residents in the female house and about three in the male house; staff said couch or air-bed use is not uncommon during transitions. The county described the sober living as short-term housing with intensive case management, intended to help residents maintain sobriety while they secure permanent housing, typically within three to six months.
The state's attorney reviewed the sober-housing contract before it came to the commission, county staff said; the county will act as a pass-through for the COSUP funds and will require monthly reports from contractors. Commissioners asked how the partnership would operate; staff answered that Brothers and Sisters Behind Bars would continue to operate its existing houses and that the COSUP funds would supplement those services and expand recovery supports and activities.
Commissioners moved and approved both contracts by voice vote. The meeting record shows no roll-call vote; county officials recorded the motions as carried.
Ending: County staff said they will begin drawing down the COSUP funds and will bring necessary budget supplements and claims back to the commission as the payments are processed.
