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Washington County reviews ARPA mental‑health and substance‑use grant reports as programs enter final year
Summary
The Health and Human Services Committee heard year‑three reports on a $2 million ARPA grant pool supporting mental‑health and substance‑use services. Staff said the grants were time‑limited through 2026, some grantees underspent, and staff is not recommending opioid‑settlement funds for these programs now.
The Washington County Health and Human Services Committee on March 25 reviewed year‑end reports from community organizations funded through a $2 million ARPA grant program for mental‑health services and substance‑use interventions, committee staff member Julie said.
Julie told the committee the county awarded the grants as a four‑year effort with awards up to $50,000 per organization per year and that 2025 is the third year of the cycle. "We issued out $2 million, um, in ARPA funding, um, for grants, um, to the community, um, for mental health services and substance use interventions," Julie said. She framed the documents presented as informational year‑end reports rather than requests for continued county funding.
Committee members pressed for details about particular grantees. One member asked whether public dollars were being used to support counseling at a parochial high school through Wisconsin Lutheran Child and Family Services. Julie confirmed the grant and said the provider is a nonprofit that partnered with Calamarine Lutheran to offer services because comparable services were not otherwise available to students at that parochial school.
Members also questioned the performance of a smaller "elevate" grant that served seven individuals and produced one completed RAP plan. Julie said ARPA funds were intended to pilot services and prioritize community investment rather than replicate the outcome oversight typical of ongoing county contracts. She added that some organizations did not spend their full allocations and could request carryover for the final year; any unspent ARPA funds will revert to the federal government after 2026.
On sustainability, Julie said the original RFP required applicants to include a sustainability plan if they intended to continue services beyond the ARPA period. She told the committee staff is not recommending opioid‑settlement dollars be earmarked now for these same programs and that grantees seeking future county funding would need to demonstrate outcomes.
The committee did not take formal action at the meeting. Members thanked Julie for the update and noted the ARPA grants will conclude in 2026 unless grantees secure other funding or demonstrate sustainability.
