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Committee lays over funding request for Wellness in the Woods peer services
Summary
Wellness in the Woods asked the committee to continue a prior appropriation that funds peer‑led warm lines, VPSN and outreach; the committee laid House File 487 over for possible omnibus inclusion.
Representative Buena introduced House File 487 and called forward witnesses from Wellness in the Woods, a peer‑run nonprofit that operates warm lines, virtual peer support networks (VPSN) and mobile recovery outreach programs. The committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
Witnesses described program reach and outcomes. Monica Yaden, director of process improvement and communications, said the appropriation previously provided $300,000 and that the organization expanded its VPSN interactions from 3,537 interactions across 43 counties in 2022 to serving more than 54,000 interactions across 83 counties in 2024 (including warm line, VPSN, Recovery in the Woods and events). Yaden stated that, of 25,188 respondents to the question whether a call or session helped their mental well‑being in 2024, 90.8% said it did.
Executive director Jody Fryhose London and director Isaiah Fransen provided further testimony about peer‑led services, rural reach from Todd County and how low per‑contact costs (testifiers calculated roughly $5.50 per interaction in 2024 based on prior funding) yielded reported improvements in participants’ confidence and reduced need for higher‑intensity services. Representative Fredericks urged that if funding is made available it be structured as a competitive grant program so other peer and recovery organizations across the state have access to funds.
House File 487 was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill; no appropriation was finalized at the hearing.
