Chesapeake council authorizes application for opioid-abatement grant to support recovery high school staffing

Chesapeake City Council on March 18 authorized the city to apply for a cooperative partnership grant from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority to support development of the Harbor Hope Center Recovery High School and to offset costs of providing Chesapeake Integrated Behavioral Healthcare (CIBH) staff in the school.

The action gives city staff permission to submit the grant application; the grant award is not guaranteed. Councilmember Ritter led questions about land use, staffing and budget implications before the motion passed by a nine-zero vote.

Councilmember Ritter said her questions were intended to focus on the application process rather than the merits of the final project. The council heard that because the school will be an educational use there is no required 22-32 comprehensive plan review. The City Manager said, “No, ma’am. So, generally, the city's involvement with public facilities would be what we call 22-32 review, comprehensive plan, consistency review. So since this is an educational use in an educational facility, there's no required 22-32 review.”

The City Manager told the council that CIBH would be the staffing entity if the grant is awarded but emphasized that CIBH will not provide services until its core operations are sufficiently staffed. “The action for council tonight is authority to apply for this grant. No guarantee that we will get the grant, but that kinda starts the conversation and then we will work over the coming months to make sure we shore up our staffing at CIBH and only when we're comfortable that that core mission is achieved will we make resources available under the grant,” the City Manager said.

According to staff statements, Chesapeake Public Schools would provide the facility, and Virginia Beach Public Schools would serve as fiscal agent if the program moves forward. The City Manager said any CIBH positions funded under the grant would need to be fully paid from grant funds while they are available; if grant funding ends the expectation is Chesapeake Public Schools would assume the cost or find alternative staffing.

Councilmember Ritter moved approval of the item with added direction that the city communicate expectations clearly to Chesapeake Public Schools; the motion was seconded and adopted 9-0. The council approved only the application request; subsequent agreements and any service start dates will depend on grant award, staffing, and interagency contracts.

Clarifying details recorded during the discussion included: the project timeline noted operations could begin as early as September 2025 if awarded and staffed; Chesapeake Public Schools to provide the facility; Virginia Beach Public Schools as fiscal agent; CIBH staff would provide clinical support and a peer specialist if staffing levels allow. The interim CIBH director, Dr. Barnwell, was present and referenced in the discussion.

The authority to apply is administrative only; the council did not appropriate funds or approve an interagency agreement at this meeting. If the grant is awarded, staff told the council they will not execute agreements with Chesapeake Public Schools unless they are confident CIBH can meet its core mission and the service obligations under the grant.