Commission tables Stepping Stones shelter request for municipal opioid-settlement funds, calls for RFP
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Summary
Stepping Stones shelter requested Municipalities Fighting Addiction Fund (MFAF) support for staffing and service enhancements. Commissioners raised conflict-of-interest concerns, asked staff to issue a competitive RFP, and tabled the request for at least one month so proposals from multiple agencies can be considered.
Stepping Stones shelter representatives asked the Seward County Commission for funding from municipal opioid-settlement (Municipalities Fighting Addiction Fund, MFAF) guidelines to expand services at the shelter, but commissioners decided to table the request and direct staff to issue a competitive request for proposals (RFP).
Sarah Foreman and Lindsey Bennett presented a packet outlining how MFAF funds would be used to enhance current services. The proposal the shelter submitted sought support for a part-time case manager who would provide wraparound services and telehealth access; a peer-support specialist; a halftime operations manager; a contracted substance-use treatment provider; English and Spanish classes; fringe and salary support; and a part-time interim director until a full-time director could be hired. Stepping Stones also described plans to expand warming/cooling shelter space and add laundry and shower facilities; the organization said it hoped to renovate space now used as a thrift store to support those services.
Commissioners expressed two main concerns. One commissioner disclosed a conflict of interest because the applicant is a family member; that commissioner said they would not advise the county on the request and recommended outside counsel review any future memorandum of understanding. Several commissioners said to ensure fairness the county should open the funds to other potential providers under an RFP process rather than award directly. Commissioners also noted the MFAF funds are time-limited and warned that unused funds could return to the state if not spent within the permitted period.
Shelter representatives said that in 2023–24 the organization served residents from 20 Kansas counties and that roughly 67% of the residents they served in that period were from Seward County. They said the shelter’s licensed capacity is 40 beds but that staffing and operational funding constraints currently limit occupancy to about 22 residents. Ty Lueck, board president, described the thrift-store space’s potential conversion into a dedicated kitchen and warming/cooling area and said the shelter has requested approximately $800,000 in state funding for facility improvements.
Following the discussion, a commissioner moved to table the Stepping Stones funding proposal and direct staff to put out an RFP and return to commission with responses in about a month. Commissioners agreed to that approach and did not take final action on the shelter’s packet at this meeting. The county said staff and outside counsel would review any future agreement language to protect the county and ensure the request meets MFAF criteria.