Wake County spotlights Arise Collective as opioid-settlement grant recipient

Wake County is using a portion of its share of the National Opioid Settlement Fund to support community providers that assist people with opioid use disorder, officials said. An unnamed county narrator explained that North Carolina will receive about $1,500,000,000 from the national settlement and that Wake County is slated to receive more than $67,000,000 over 18 years to fund treatment, housing, prevention and recovery programs.

A representative of Arise Collective described how the nonprofit has focused on women affected by incarceration since 1980 and is using the opioid-grant award to expand reentry services. The speaker said the program will offer transportation, mental-health and spiritual supports, and peer guidance to help women navigate reentry and recovery. "People with lived experience need a seat at the table," the Arise Collective representative said. The speaker also added, "I don't believe that the opposite of addiction is sobriety. I think it's connection."

County officials said they designed a competitive grant process informed by public input sessions, surveys and guidance from the Wake County Overdose Prevention Coalition. The county directed viewers who want more information to wake.gov/opioids.

No formal vote or ordinance was recorded in the episode; the segment described grantmaking and service delivery plans rather than a final contract or action.