Council approves $1.875 million state grant to open downtown substance-use drop-in center

Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday voted to accept a grant not to exceed $1,875,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs to create a new substance-use drop-in center and extended-hours services. The resolution authorizes the mayor and the director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Public Safety to enter into agreements to receive the funds at no cost to the city.

City staff told the committee the Office of Community Health and Safety (OCHS) applied for and won the grant after submitting a statewide proposal; the office said it was one of two awardees in Allegheny County. Presenting staff said the drop-in center will operate extended hours (proposed 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.), provide de-escalation, harm-reduction supplies, basic needs support and connections to benefits, and add nurses, crisis clinicians and diversion case managers to city teams responding to nonemergency behavioral-health incidents. The grant is written to fund staffing and program costs for roughly two-and-a-half years with no city match required.

A staff presenter described planned operations: a centralized downtown site at 611 Second Avenue (the OCHS transition site), shared staffing with OCHS outreach teams and a day-to-night operational model to provide alternatives to hospital or arrest for people in crisis. The office said program elements will include harm-reduction supplies, a nurse, crisis clinicians, a benefits coordinator to assist with SNAP and other public benefits, and diversion case management for higher-acuity clients. The presenter said the facility would also free up emergency responders during overnight hours by providing an alternate response and care option.

Councilmembers asked about facility readiness, timeline and sustainability. Staff said facility renovations are minimal and that DPW will assist with building work; the presenter said hiring would begin after council approval, with an operational target of spring or early summer (Q2–Q3) 2025. Staff said some portion of future funding could be billed to Medicaid or other payors as programs mature and that the grant dedicates most funds to personnel and direct participant services.

Council voted in favor by voice vote; the clerk recorded an affirmative recommendation. Several councilmembers congratulated staff on securing the grant and noted it expands city capacity for noncarceral, public-health responses to substance-use crises.