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Anoka County committee advances homelessness contracts and opioid-settlement grants; expands naloxone access
Summary
The Anoka County Board advanced homelessness grant pass-throughs, a rehabilitation-services contract, and opioid-settlement funding actions on May 27 after a Human Resources committee presentation.
At its May 27 meeting the Anoka County Board moved forward several human-services actions after a presentation by Commissioner Meissner and staff, including homelessness grant pass-throughs, a behavioral-health provider contract award, and updates on the county’s opioid-settlement-funded initiatives.
Commissioner Meissner said the county is amending a grant contract with the Minnesota Department of Human Services to pass through shelter funding and listed a contract amount of $2,060,465.32 for shelter funding through June 30. The board also approved a renewal with Stepping Stone Emergency Housing for adult services not to exceed $1,036,872.89 for the July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026 term.
Meissner announced a new contract with Touchstone Mental Health for a psychological rehabilitation community support program serving adults. The contract (C0011566) covers services provided at a Fridley facility and carries a not-to-exceed amount of $1,847,163 for the period June 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2026. “This will be starting from June 1,” Meissner said, and she thanked Lee Carlson Center for prior service while noting the county completed a procurement and transition in fewer than six months.
The committee also reviewed informational items on the Anoka County Opioid Solutions Initiative, funded by the county’s pharmaceutical opioid settlement allocation. Meissner said Anoka County’s allocation totals $18 million distributed over roughly 18–20 years. The initiative’s advisory council released an initial round of prevention RFPs; Meissner said roughly $750,000 will be granted in the first two-year round across about seven awards.
Naloxone access was another update. Meissner told the board that public naloxone kits were previously available at five county access points and are now available at 20 locations; the first launch placed kits in all eight Anoka County library lobbies. “This is a no questions asked, type of situation,” Meissner said.
An informational item noted a new service agreement with Alpha Emergency Behavioral Health; Meissner described that as an operational continuation under a new agreement rather than a new program. The human-resources slate and associated amendments were advanced by the committee and approved on the board’s roll-call vote.
