Chesapeake council authorizes grant applications to support recovery high school; members press city on staffing capacity

Chesapeake City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to authorize the city to apply for opioid-abatement grant funds to support clinical and peer services for a proposed Harbor Hope Recovery High School. Council members pressed city staff about implementation details and whether Chesapeake Integrated Behavioral Healthcare (CIBH) has the capacity to supply counselors and a peer specialist if the grant is awarded.

Council member Debbie Ritter said she was asking questions to clarify staffing, land-use and budget implications and to ensure any city commitments would not divert resources from CIBH’s primary mission. City officials said the action before council was only authorization to apply for the grants from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority and does not itself commit the city to provide services if the funding is not secured.

City staff told council that Chesapeake Public Schools would provide the school facility and that Virginia Beach Public Schools would serve as the fiscal agent for the grant. CIBH would provide staff only if grant funds cover those positions; if grant funding is not awarded, schools or other partners would be responsible for covering the staffing costs. Interim CIBH leadership (identified in the meeting as Dr. Barnwell) said recruiting for mental-health counselors is difficult but that recent hiring progress has reduced earlier concerns about filling positions.

Ritter won council support for language emphasizing that CIBH would make services available under a funded grant only after the agency’s core mission staffing needs were satisfied. Following additional clarifying discussion with staff, council moved and approved the authorization to apply for the cooperative-partnership and Operation Stop grant opportunities.

What council approved - Authority to apply for a cooperative partnership grant from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority to support development of the Harbor Hope Center Recovery High School. - Authority to apply for a $500,000 Operation Stop grant from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority, with any city staffing to be paid by grant funds or, if the grant expires or is not awarded, by Chesapeake Public Schools or other partners.

Why it matters The recovery high school idea would place clinical behavioral-health supports within a school setting to serve students with substance-use and addiction histories. Council members expressed support for the concept but wanted city staff and school partners to spell out staffing plans, service timelines, and how responsibilities would shift if grant funding was not secured.

Next steps The council action authorized staff to submit grant applications; it does not obligate the city to provide services without awarded funds. Staff said they would continue coordinating with Chesapeake Public Schools, the grant fiscal agent, and CIBH on any required agreements and on staffing plans if awards are made.