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Winnebago County Approves One-Year Funding for Peer Response Team
Summary
The Winnebago County Board of Supervisors approved a $322,050 one‑year appropriation to Solutions Recovery to support its peer response team, a countywide outreach and overdose‑prevention effort.
The Winnebago County Board of Supervisors approved a $322,050 appropriation to fund Solutions Recovery’s peer response team for one year, aiming to sustain outreach, hotline response and transports to treatment.
Supporters told the board the peer response team has become a core local tool for overdose prevention and connection to services. “The peer response team is transforming how our county responds to substance use,” Megan Edwards, executive director of Solutions Recovery, told the board during the public-comment period, citing the team’s contacts and transports over the past three years.
Why it mattered: Board members and community speakers described the program as a hands‑on, evidence‑informed way to reach people in crisis and reduce overdose risk. The approved amendment included a clawback: if Solutions Recovery secures other grant funds, unused county dollars return to the county’s general fund. The funding was advanced as a one‑year bridge while the nonprofit pursues longer‑term sources.
What the board did: The amendment to add $322,050 for Solutions Recovery passed on a recorded vote (final tally reported in meeting minutes: 35 yes, 1 no). Proponents argued an abrupt closure of the team would cause immediate harm to clients and interrupt continuity for people transitioning from justice and health settings. Opponents expressed concern about one‑time county funding and urged the nonprofit to secure sustainable grants.
Background: Solutions Recovery’s peer response team provides in‑person support, hotline follow up and transport to treatment and housing. In public comments at the hearing, Edwards said the team had reached more than 1,200 people directly and facilitated thousands of contacts and transports.
What’s next: The county’s appropriation covers the program for 2026 with reporting and a provision to return county funds if external grants are obtained. County staff and supervisors said they expect to monitor results and the nonprofit’s fund‑raising progress before considering further county support.
