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Committee forwards opioid settlement dollars, shelter and after-school contracts to full council
Summary
The Education & Human Services Committee recommended approval of ordinances to accept about $1.16M in national opioid settlement funds, transfer $300,000 to a sheriff-run MAT pilot, extend Salvation Army shelter contracts and lease, fund Caritas surge shelter operations ($80,000), and approve YMCA after-school site funding.
The Richmond Education & Human Services Committee on June 15 recommended approval of a package of ordinances to move multiple funding and contract actions to the full City Council.
Two budget-related ordinances (20-26-140 and 20-26-141) would allow the city to accept approximately $1,164,547.84 from national opioid settlement agreements into a special fund and to transfer $300,000 of those or related settlement funds to support a Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) pilot operated through the Richmond City Sheriffs Office. Anna Jones, the citys opioid response strategist, said the MAT pilot (operating since January 2025) has served 178 unique individuals and combines medication access with substance-use counseling and discharge planning.
The committee also recommended approval of two companion ordinances (20-26-143 and 20-26-144) to extend an operating grant and a lease with the Salvation Army to continue a 50-bed mens year-round shelter, inclement-weather shelter operations and a resource and training center at 1900 Chamberlain Avenue. Steve Harms, policy advisor, told the committee these are extensions of existing contracts and described them as part of the citys expanded shelter system.
A separate ordinance (20-26-139) transfers $80,000 from a Venture Richmond line item to the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services to cover expanded nights of operation for the Caritas surge shelter. Dominic Barrett, senior policy advisor, said the $80,000 was a standalone legacy line that Venture Richmond determined it did not need and that the transfer covers additional surge shelter costs incurred during extreme weather.
The committee also approved ordinance 20-26-142, authorizing a city contract to fund six YMCA after-school sites (Francis, Red, Cardinal, Munford, Holt and Fox) for the school year that concluded. Eva Colon, senior policy adviser for children and families, said a budget misunderstanding required the contract to come to council for approval; she described the scope (recruitment, data management, fee parity with Parks & Rec and participation in the free meal program).
All motions to forward the papers were moved, seconded and approved by roll call. Committee members asked follow-up questions about program metrics, wait lists and licensing for after-school providers; staff said they are working to better report penetration rates for Department of Social Services subsidy recipients and to verify provider licensing and capacity. The committee did not amend the measures and forwarded them to the full council with recommendations to approve.
Next steps: the full City Council will consider the ordinances at a later meeting; the committee set its next meeting for July 9 at 2 p.m.
