Harm‑reduction groups ask council to ensure frontline organizations get adequate share of opioid restitution funds

Harm‑reduction advocates praised the mayor’s inclusion of Opioid Restitution Fund dollars in the fiscal 2026 recommendation but warned that frontline organizations that were not named in national settlements risk receiving only a small share of competitive microgrants.

Darcy Kerwin Garber, policy manager at the Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition, said the city’s budget “provides a good amount for that” fund and urged the council to ensure organizations on the ground have sufficient ongoing resources: “People who use drugs… are the ones who are reversing overdoses the most. They are experts on naloxone.”

Nut graf: Witnesses said that while the mayor’s recommended budget allocates $36.7 million from the Opioid Restitution Fund — with a $2 million grant pool for organizations not specifically named in settlements — frontline groups working directly with people who use drugs need sustained and non‑competitive funding to maintain naloxone distribution, test strips and sterile supplies.

Candy Kerr of the Bridges Coalition, which advocates for overdose prevention sites, asked the council to reconsider how the settlement dollars are distributed so organizations that serve people with lived experience are not underfunded. Speakers noted the budget’s proposed $2 million microgrant pool and urged larger allocations to community groups that provide street outreach, naloxone distribution and other harm‑reduction services.

Ending: Advocates asked the council to use the hearings process to refine how the Opioid Restitution Fund is allocated so the agencies and community organizations most connected to people at risk can sustain direct services.