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Recovery community organizations ask the state for $13.45M to sustain peer‑led recovery supports
Summary
Representatives of Michigan recovery community organizations asked the appropriations subcommittee for $1.2M in ongoing state funding, $12M from opioid settlement funds for RCOs and $250,000 to establish an association for certification, reporting and technical support to grassroots RCOs.
Ben, staff from Representative Pavlo’s office, introduced Patrick Patterson of Blue Water Recovery and Outreach Center and the Michigan Association of Recovery Community Organizations (MARACO). Patterson said recovery community organizations (RCOs) are peer‑led groups that help people sustain long‑term recovery by providing housing, employment assistance, transportation and social supports that treatment alone does not supply.
Patterson asked the committee to support funding that includes $1.2M from state section 978 dollars, $12M from opioid settlement funds dedicated to RCOs (ongoing settlement dollars) and $250,000 from settlement funds to establish an association to certify and support RCOs, help ensure funding goes to genuine RCOs and report outcomes to the Legislature. He referenced House Bill 5302 as a vehicle to help certify RCOs and said roughly 20–25 RCOs currently operate in Michigan.
Patterson described lived‑experience governance, cited a recent round of grants with over 70 applicants and argued certification and reporting are needed to ensure accountability and sustainability. A family member, Cindy, gave personal testimony on how local recovery supports aided her son’s recovery.
