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Local recovery programs, drug court and jail treatment ask Weber County for opioid funds
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Summary
Four proposals at the Weber County Commission work session sought county opioid‑response dollars: SOAR requested $15,000 for scholarships; the Family Crisis Center requested $65,165 to embed opioid recovery into domestic‑violence services; the misdemeanor drug court sought $94,050 to reduce participant fees; and the county jail asked for $1.74 million over three years to reestablish a therapeutic‑community treatment program.
The Weber County Commission heard presentations on April 20 from four local programs seeking county opioid‑response funds to expand recovery services and reduce barriers to treatment.
Brent Jamieson, executive director of the School of Addiction Recovery (SOAR), asked the commission to prioritize funding for peer‑based recovery supports that follow detox and rehab. “Every dollar invested in a place like SOAR goes to prevent future hospitalizations, overdoses, incarceration costs,” Jamieson said, noting SOAR tracks improvement on a validated recovery‑wellbeing measure and reports that about 43% of participants receive partial or full scholarships. Jamieson said SOAR’s $15,000 request would fund roughly five scholarships for its 90‑day program and that the program runs rolling 12‑week cycles.
Amber Paso, victim assistance center director at the Weber‑area Family Crisis Center (YCC), asked commissioners for $65,165 to launch a trauma‑informed initiative serving domestic‑violence survivors with opioid use disorder. Paso said the proposal includes stocking naloxone on every shelter floor of the center’s 62‑bed facility, quarterly staff and client naloxone training, distributing 200 naloxone kits annually to high‑risk clients, co‑facilitated specialty recovery support groups, and a warm‑handoff protocol designed to connect 70% of identified survivors to detox, medication‑assisted treatment or residential care. Paso said the funding would also cover transportation and childcare to remove barriers for parents seeking treatment.
A judge and partners described the misdemeanor drug court model and asked for $94,050 to expand capacity and reduce program costs for participants. The presenters said misdemeanor participants currently face higher out‑of‑pocket costs than felony drug‑court participants and that program fees are a barrier for homeless or low‑income defendants. “We don't want the cost to be a barrier,” the court representative said, adding the requested funds would cover testing, treatment and probation costs so more eligible people can enter the program.
Representatives from the Weber County correctional facility described plans to reestablish a therapeutic‑community model (formerly the RISE program) inside the jail. The three‑year funding request totals $1,736,244; staff broke the ask into annual amounts and said the minimum critical hires are two full‑time therapists and two case managers. Jail staff said they plan to use the Medicaid 1115 justice‑involved waiver to help sustain the program long term and that partial county funding would be acceptable while they pursue other grants.
Commissioners asked presenters to return with specifics on reporting and sustainability. County staff said any grant award would include periodic reporting—likely at six to 12 months—to demonstrate outcomes and ensure funds are being used for the proposed services. The commission did not take immediate action but placed the proposals on the follow‑up list for funding decisions tied to available opioid‑response allocations.
The work session’s exchanges underscored different service models—short, intensive programs versus long‑term therapeutic communities—and repeated a common theme: commissioners want measurable outcomes, clear reporting and evidence that county funds will leverage additional public or private support rather than creating one‑off programs.
The commission moved on to other agenda items and asked staff to include these proposals in upcoming budget discussions and to present recommended funding options and reporting templates if staff proposes awards.
