Bradley County hearing: eight nonprofits present requests for opioid settlement funds; requests exceed available dollars

Bradley County finance committee members heard presentations Oct. 6 from eight local nonprofits that requested allocations from the county’s opioid settlement fund. The organizations outlined services that range from prevention and youth education to recovery case management, housing supports, medical care and specialized services for survivors of human trafficking.

The county hearing followed the committee’s earlier approval of routine budget amendments. Presenters — representing The Caring Place, Foundation House, Bradley Prevention Coalition, Boys & Girls Clubs, ATS The Bridge, Cares Community Health, Cleveland Emergency Shelter (Bradley Cleveland Community Services Agency) and Willow Bend Farms — described the populations they serve and the specific ways they would use opioid-disbursement dollars.

Key requests and program highlights: - The Caring Place (presenter identified as Sydney) asked to increase its opioid-year request to $75,000 after correcting typos in an earlier application. The organization described its resource market and case-management work: 1,250 households served monthly for food; 581 case-management appointments last year; nearly $400,000 in direct support payments for rent and utilities in the past year. The Caring Place said opioid funds have covered housing stability assistance, training (Getting Ahead peer program), limited direct payments and case management; it proposed $60,000 in direct financial assistance, $7,500 for case management and $7,500 for participant training for the coming grant year and projected serving 50 unique households if funded. - Foundation House (Anna) described a residential program for mothers in crisis and their children, providing long-term residential recovery support. She described cases in which mothers have regained custody after extended support; the presentation did not state a specific dollar request in the county packet. - Bradley Prevention Coalition (Adam Lewis, board member presenting for Executive Director Amanda Touchstone) requested $160,000 to stabilize coalition operations after loss of two major grants (TCOR and COSAP or similar competitive grants). Lewis said staff fell from five to two and the $160,000 would cover a skeleton staff to sustain certified peer recovery services, court assessment and monitoring, treatment linkage and prevention events. He said the coalition will reapply for state and federal opportunities and pursue other funding but asked the county for a base allocation to maintain core services. - Boys & Girls Clubs (Kimberly Goins, grants manager) requested $50,000 to expand the Smart Moves opioid-prevention curriculum and train staff to deliver the program across Bradley County sites. Goins said the organization served more than 1,500 youth locally in the last year and that opioid-prevention curriculum knowledge scores increased roughly 60 percent on pre/post testing. She said the $31,000 the club received previously supported part of their work and asked for a salary/funding breakdown to be provided to county staff on request. - ATS The Bridge (presenter) requested $55,000 (administered through the Community Foundation as fiscal agent). ATS reported reaching more than 35,000 people this year (mostly students), sustained an ambassador program of more than 350 high-school students, and said juvenile drug citations in the county have fallen by about 35 percent. ATS emphasized education and student ambassadors as a prevention model, and flagged vaping/THC as a key upstream driver of later opioid risk. - Cares Community Health (Kelly Olsen, executive director) requested $30,000 to screen and treat health needs tied to opioid use, including hepatitis C testing and treatment, dental restorations and wraparound medical services for clients in recovery. Olsen said the clinic screened 714 new medical patients last year, identified 12 hepatitis C positives, and estimates screening costs at about $7 per new patient and post‑treatment supports that can average roughly $400 per treated patient. She emphasized that treating hepatitis C and restoring dental health are part of helping people re-enter the workforce. - Cleveland Emergency Shelter / Bradley Cleveland Community Services Agency (Dr. Ramsey, with program manager Asia Whaley) requested $75,000 to cover a loss of $125,000 in Emergency Solutions Grant funding that the shelter previously received. The shelter described increased numbers of guests with substance use disorders, daily overdose risk encounters, on-site Narcan and harm-reduction training for staff, and partnerships with law enforcement and recovery partners. Asia Whaley, a staff member in recovery who is completing certified peer recovery specialist training, described client outcomes and the shelter’s role in stabilization and referral. - Willow Bend Farms (unnamed presenter) requested $25,000 to support prevention capacity, scholarships to an RU Awake human trafficking and drug-endangered-children conference, certified peer recovery specialist training for survivor-advocates, staffing and direct services. Willow Bend said the organization has operated eight-plus years, runs safe houses and survivor services, and that trafficking cases are closely linked to opioid use in its caseload.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about budget typos, prior award amounts, staff salaries and whether organizations had matching or other funding streams. The Caring Place confirmed it had submitted a corrected budget to county staff (Laurie). Boys & Girls Club agreed to provide a salary breakdown to county staff for follow-up. Bradley Prevention Coalition and other presenters described pursuing state and federal competitive grants (COSAP, TCOR) and private fundraising in tandem with any county award.

Chairman Blake told presenters the finance committee will assemble a recommended funding package at the Nov. 3 finance meeting for referral to the full commission for a final vote. The mayor and members noted the county has more requests than available opioid funds and said November will require difficult prioritization.