Winnebago County board hears plea to fund Solutions Recovery peer response team as STAR jail program reports lower recidivism

Winnebago County Board members heard a daylong presentation and multiple public comments urging the county to close a $322,000 funding gap for Solutions Recovery’s peer response team, a 24/7 community follow‑up program that supports people after release from the Winnebago County Jail and runs a 24/7 hotline and other services.

The request came as Solutions Recovery executive director Megan Edwards updated the board on the STAR jail-based program and related community services. Edwards said STAR — the jail-based program — is fully funded for 2026, but that community-based peer follow‑up is at risk after a federal CO‑SUB grant ended and a follow‑on grant became unavailable for application. “People are gonna die,” Edwards told the board, saying the first two weeks after release carry high overdose risk.

The peer response team was created from recommendations of the Winnebago County Overdose Fatality Review Team and has operated alongside the STAR pod in the county jail. Edwards and speakers described the two programs as complementary: STAR provides structured, in‑custody groups and release planning, while the peer response team does rapid post‑release outreach, transportation, housing help, crisis de‑escalation and a round‑the‑clock hotline.

Edwards told the board that STAR…