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Albany County approves opioid-settlement mini-grants and budget amendments for local recovery services
Summary
Albany County approved a package of opioid-settlement grants and contracts to local recovery and treatment providers — including funding for peer workforce research, expanded evening hours, transportation, recreational programming and shelter-based treatment staffing — and amended the Department of Mental Health 2026 budget accordingly.
The Albany County Department of Mental Health committee unanimously approved a series of agreements and budget amendments using opioid-settlement funds to support local recovery services.
Committee members heard that the county increased a round of mini-grants from $15,000 to $25,000 and received nine applications; five top-scoring projects were selected. Healthy Capital District received a $25,000 grant to research best practices for peer workers, including statewide surveys and locally focused focus groups to identify roles, supervision and training needs for peer staff. Committee members were told the research will inform workforce supports and will be disseminated by the grantee.
Additional grants and agreements approved in the same package included: a $25,000 award (as recorded in the meeting) to an organization spoken of in the transcript as “High of the Pope” to expand evening operating hours; funding for Hospitality House to buy outdoor recreational equipment for residents (the transcript states a requested amount of "18,34" — unclear in the record); a $25,000 award to South School to implement a neurofeedback/biofeedback program and staff training; funds to add a part-time driver for Second Chance Opportunities’ SCOOP outreach transportation program (an estimated 1,250 additional rides per year was cited); and an agreement with Addictions Care Center of Albany to staff certified counselors and certified peers at interfaith partnership shelters to provide assessments and treatment.
Committee members asked procedural and program questions (for example about outreach for the RFP and prior-year applicants). Motions to approve the items were made and seconded by various committee members and each motion passed unanimously; the transcript records motions and seconds but does not provide individual roll-call vote tallies beyond the chair’s announcement of unanimous approval.
The committee’s actions authorize the county to amend the Department of Mental Health’s 2026 budget as needed to allocate the opioid-settlement funds to the approved projects. Meeting discussion did not specify exact contract start dates or final procurement documents for each award; staff indicated purchasing notices were posted on BidNet and that grantee lists were included in the meeting packet.
