Commission debates use of opioid-abatement funds to buy women's recovery home; vote deferred
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Summary
Commissioners discussed proposals to spend opioid-abatement funds on a women's recovery residence and program services. Families Free presented program outcomes and operations; commissioners raised concerns about the proposed site in the county-seat historic district and asked for neighbor outreach and an appraisal. Items 12 and 13 were rolled to next week for further vetting.
The Sullivan County Commission engaged in a lengthy debate on Feb. 12 over using opioid-abatement settlement funds to buy and operate residential recovery services for women.
Commissioners presented two related resolutions from the opioid abatement committee: Item 12 requests about $544,900 to purchase a house to serve as a women's recovery residence in the county, and Item 13 requests roughly $513,513 for programmatic funding (treatment, staffing, outreach). Commissioner Crosswell explained the committee's review and said the selected property offered proximity to downtown services. The committee proposed the purchase using settlement funds, not general-tax revenues.
Lisa Tipton of Families Free, the provider identified by the committee, described the organization's residential model and outcomes, saying Families Free runs multiple homes in the region and provides evidence-based substance-abuse and mental-health treatment, transport vans, and staff oversight. Tipton told commissioners the program typically houses women 6–18 months and reported an approximate 90% success rate among participants in their existing houses.
Speakers pressing concerns included Commissioners Glover, Cole and others who said the proposed house's location—near the Sullivan County courthouse inside the county-seat historic district—was unsuitable and that the commission should solicit broader neighborhood input. Questions were raised about appraisal, price comparisons to state appraisals, ADA compliance and ongoing maintenance costs. Commissioner Crosswhite and others emphasized the life-saving potential of the program and urged the commission to find an appropriate property if the current one is not suitable.
Outcome: Commissioners agreed to defer Items 12 and 13 to next week's meeting to allow the opioid committee to perform outreach to immediate neighbors, obtain a formal appraisal and run additional inspections. The commission did place at least one other opioid-related appropriation (Item 11, $139,708 for pre-trial services) on the consent calendar during the meeting.
Representative quotes: "The dam is about to burst," said Michael Gilley, a local attorney and resident, urging action on juvenile and drug-related problems. "We don't need an opioid women's recovery center 90 foot from our Sullivan County courthouse," Commissioner Glover said, voicing neighborhood-location concerns. Lisa Tipton (Families Free): "We have a very proven track record...we've done this for a long time, and I think it would be a huge benefit to all of the County."
Next steps: The opioid committee will obtain an appraisal, further inspect the proposed property and reach out to neighboring residents before the commission takes a vote at the next meeting.