Boyle County health department wins $166,000 grant to create recovery community center, funds homeless coordinator

The Boyle County Health Department announced a $166,000 grant on Oct. 28 that will fund a recovery community center (RCC) to centralize harm-reduction and recovery services, the department told the Boyle County Fiscal Court.

The departmentoutlined that the RCC will allow harm-reduction staff to co-locate with a newly funded homeless-coordination position so residents can access multiple services in a single place rather than being referred to multiple buildings. "We were one of three counties that got it," Brent Blevins, who presented the item, said of the grant, which he described as opioid-abatement money distributed through a state health association.

Blevins said the grant would allow the county to find a single location for the harm-reduction team and the homeless coordinator, who he named Bryce. "Right now they're in separate buildings. But to get that all in one place ... will make it an inviting, somewhat comfortable place for people to come in," Blevins said.

The new homeless coordinator told the court he has spent several weeks doing outreach and building rapport with people living unsheltered. "One of the most important things is to just meet them where they're at," Bryce said, describing initial outreach, food delivery and efforts to obtain IDs and stable housing for clients.

Blevins and county officials said the RCC is not a shelter and the county is not starting or operating a shelter. He said the new position will instead connect people to existing resources and coordinate with the Homeless Coalition led by Dr. Ray Pierre. Implementation will require months of planning; the department said it will return to the court with updates once the team secures a space and operational details.

The health department also reported on increased demand for harm-reduction services: about 2,000 visits last year, 40% of which were for needs other than syringe exchange, officials said. Blevins said the grant-funded work will include supportive services such as food and water distribution and that transportation and other wraparound services will be part of the RCC's offerings.

The court did not take a vote to approve the grant at the meeting; staff said they will return with more detailed plans and follow-up budget or space requests.