Fort Worth officials propose using opioid settlement funds to expand overdose response, housing supports

City staff told the Fort Worth Public Safety Committee on Feb. 3 that the city has received multiple payments from opioid settlements and is proposing allocations to expand overdose response services and homeless interventions.

Keisha Light, Assistant Neighborhood Services Director, said the city expects to receive roughly $2.6 million from the initial settlement over 18 years and additional monies from subsequent settlements. “In March 2023, we received our first payment of around $665,000,” she said, and later added that an April 2025 payment of about $631,000 is the amount currently slated for allocation.

Staff proposed directing the available funds to two main requests: the Fort Worth Fire Department’s overdose response expansion and the Homeless Strategies High Impact program. Light described the fire department request as a package to support the mobile integrated health paramedic team, a contracted peer support specialist, community events, medications and limited administrative costs (the line-item totals presented summed to about $410,204). Light said the Homeless Strategies request would fund a chemical dependency counselor contracted through MHMR and related operating and medication costs (total presented: $221,385 after reductions).

Interim Fire Chief Ray Hill said the funding would be used to increase overdose response days from two to four per week and to add peer support alongside paramedics. “With the additional funding, we'll be able to offer services 4 days per week,” Hill said.

Homeless Strategies’ Tara Perez said adding a chemical dependency counselor would open up 10 additional housing vouchers and help integrate treatment with housing placement. “It is an expansion. It is to add a position through MHMR for a chemical dependency counselor,” Perez said. She added the counselor would improve services on the housing and treatment side and allow the program to request more vouchers.

Light said program performance measures would include numbers served, repeat overdoses within six months of intervention, housing acceptance and retention, and client engagement in treatment; staff plans to present the program fund allocations to City Council on Feb. 24. Staff also cited roughly $75,000 of interest earned on settlement monies and said Financial Management Services is working on how to allocate that amount.

Committee members asked whether the city would duplicate services already provided by Recovery Resource Council; staff said they met with that agency and have coordinated to avoid duplication and to expand coverage. No council vote on the allocations occurred at the committee meeting; staff will present the requests to City Council for approval.