Recovery group Heart, Hope and Freedom asks Hart County for opioid-abatement funds; commissioners seek legal and budget review

Heart, Hope and Freedom, a new recovery community organization (RCO) based in Hartwell, presented to the Hart County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday seeking support and access to opioid-abatement funds.

"I'm Leia Tolbert with Heart, Hope, and Freedom. It's a new RCO, which is a recovery community organization and thrift store in Hartwell, Georgia. I am the co-founder and director," Tolbert told the board. She described weekly recovery meetings, peer support, food and hygiene distribution, assistance obtaining IDs and resumes, and plans to install a shower at a new facility on Ridge Road. Tolbert said the group had served more than 40 unhoused individuals and recorded over 1,000 visitors through its doors since opening.

Brian Kite, RCO development program manager for the Georgia Council for Recovery, explained how state and regional opioid-abatement allocations flow to local governments and nonprofit providers and offered technical help. "We're here to show not only that we are in support of Heart, Hope, and Freedom, but that we will continue to engage with them," Kite said, outlining examples from other Georgia counties of local projects funded from settlement dollars.

Commissioners raised several concerns about eligibility, reporting and sustainability. The county attorney noted the state's allocation rules and reporting requirements and warned that county participation would require contracting and monitoring. Commissioner Brown said he was not prepared to award funds without the county attorney's review and cautioned that the board must ensure funds meet the settlement's use and sustainability rules.

Tolbert and Kite said the RCO would seek a combination of state, regional and private funds for sustainability and that opioid settlement money could serve as a bridge. They also offered to facilitate conversations with other communities and provide contract templates and reporting examples.

The board did not commit money at the meeting. Commissioners asked the RCO to provide a more detailed proposal and asked staff and counsel to review legal eligibility and reporting responsibilities; staff suggested the group return in several weeks with drafts of possible contracts and sustainability plans.

Next steps: county attorney to review eligibility and reporting requirements; Heart, Hope and Freedom to provide additional documentation and return for follow-up discussion.