STAR jail recovery program reports expansion, positive early results and a funding shortfall for 2026

A county-funded recovery program operating in the Winnebago County Jail, known locally as STAR and delivered by Solutions Recovery in partnership with the sheriff’s office and county agencies, has expanded into in‑custody residential recovery pods and is reporting early positive outcomes while facing a funding shortfall for calendar year 2026, presenters told the county board May 6.

A Solutions Recovery representative who filled in for Megan Edwards summarized the program’s phases and partners, saying the program began in 2022 with one-on-one recovery coaching and medication-assisted treatment (Vivitrol) at intake, expanded to wraparound services in 2023 and opened recovery pods for in-custody residential programming in March 2024. County staff said the jail contracted with Solutions for services valued at about $421,000 for the recovery pod, one-on-one coaching and wraparound services for the current contract year. University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh criminology professor Dr. Matt Ritchie is evaluating program data.

Presenters reported that 421 individuals were served in the recovery pod during the first year of that component, that 143 individuals were listed as active in recovery, and that 183 participants had returned to use after participating (the presenters said they did not treat re-use as a program failure but as part of a longer recovery trajectory). Program evaluation presented by Dr. Ritchie’s team showed participants in the recovery pod had a longer median time to reoffend (about 110 days) compared with the general jail population (about 85 days), and that longer program participation was associated with lower recidivism over the short term (30, 60, 90-day windows were used in the evaluation).

Presenters attributed savings to delayed recidivism — the slide deck estimated about $126,000 per year in avoided jail costs for the cohort reviewed, based on an estimated per‑day jail cost and observed delay in reoffending — and highlighted research and legislative outreach by faculty and students at UWO. A Solutions representative said some participants later work for the agency or manage sober living housing.

Funding sources for STAR and the county’s peer response team include a BJA reentry grant, opioid settlement funds, an RSAT grant and COSEP grants; presenters said several of those grants expire or are not guaranteed in 2026. Presenters gave multiple gap figures during the discussion: one slide and discussion items listed a peer-response-team budget over $800,000 for 2025, with the portion related to STAR roughly $700,000; the STAR-specific shortfall for 2026 was described in the presentation at different points as about $276,000 and elsewhere as roughly $300,000 (presenters said some slide numbers reflect different framing: overall provider budget shortfalls versus STAR-only needs). Presenters said opioid settlement funds will cover current 2025 expenses and that staff are applying for additional grants (COSUP, Vital Strategies and others) but that those sources are uncertain and have different timelines.

Supervisors questioned the measures of success and asked for clearer long‑term outcome metrics. County staff and presenters acknowledged the program is relatively new — with the in-custody recovery pod component starting in March 2024 — and said program evaluation is ongoing; Dr. Ritchie’s evaluation uses intake screening tools to identify a higher-risk STAR population and then compares time-to-reoffend measures and recidivism rates at 30/60/90-day intervals.

Presenters described what would happen if the county cannot replace expiring grant funds in 2026: the male and female recovery pods could close and in‑custody residential services would be curtailed; Solutions could continue limited one-on-one coaching but not the current residential model without new county or grant funding. Several supervisors encouraged the county to prioritize opioid settlement funds, to pursue additional grant opportunities and to consider longer-term budgeting given the program’s early results and regional interest from other counties.

No formal vote or board action to change funding was taken at the May 6 meeting; presenters asked supervisors to consider funding options before the 2026 budget cycle and noted that grant timelines may not align with county fiscal calendars.