Chesapeake council authorizes application for opioid-abatement grant to support recovery high school; staff outline staffing, funding limits

Chesapeake City Council on March 2025 voted 9-0 to authorize the city to apply for grant funds from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority to support a proposed Harbor Hope Recovery High School and related recovery services.

The council’s action was to give the city manager authority to apply for the grant; council members repeatedly noted the vote did not obligate the city to provide services unless grant funding is secured. Councilmember Rita Ritter said she was raising questions to clarify the application and potential implications, and acknowledged the remarks were “only on the application” not the merits of any final arrangements.

City Manager (name not specified in the meeting transcript) and CIBH staff answered Councilmember Ritter’s questions about land use, staffing, and local budget impacts. The manager said there is no required comprehensive plan (22‑32) review because the proposed use is educational, and recommended that any agreements executed with schools comply with all federal, state and local ordinances. On staffing, the manager said CIBH could provide counselors and a peer specialist offset by grant funds, but only after CIBH’s core mission services are secured: “We would only be able to begin providing services once we’re confident that CIBH’s core mission services are being taken care of,” he said.

Councilmembers asked whether Chesapeake Public Schools would need to return to council for land‑use permission if the grant is awarded; the city manager replied no — schools would proceed with their plans, and the council vote that night was only to authorize the city to seek grant funds. The manager also said Chesapeake Public Schools will provide the facility and Virginia Beach Public Schools will serve as the fiscal agent for the grant should it be awarded. He added that CIBH staff paid under the grant would be funded from the grant while available and, if grant funds expire, Chesapeake Public Schools would be responsible for staff costs.

Councilmember Newans asked whether the city could convey staffing and budget expectations in the application; the manager said the grant application collects required information from the fiscal agent and staffing entities and would be used as the initial communications tool, and the city would not execute an agreement with schools unless it was confident it could satisfy obligations.

Ritter moved approval of the city manager item authorizing application for the opioid‑abatement grant. The motion was seconded (second not specified in the transcript) and adopted 9-0.

Why it matters: The opioid‑abatement funds could offset the cost of placing behavioral‑health staff inside a proposed recovery high school, creating an on-campus clinical and peer‑support presence. Council and staff emphasized that services would start only if grant funds are secured and CIBH determines core services are not compromised.

What’s next: The city will submit the grant application; award and implementation remain contingent on the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority’s decision and subsequent agreements between the fiscal agent (Virginia Beach Public Schools), Chesapeake Public Schools and the city’s CIBH.