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Recovery center asks Morehead council for $20,000 from opioid-abatement funds
Summary
Recovery Round County requested $20,000 from the city opioid-abatement settlement to sustain operations for several months, citing low reincarceration rates among participants and an economic analysis estimating high returns from investing in recovery services.
Kayla Patton, executive director of Recovery Round County, told the Morehead City Council that her recovery community center has been open since Feb. 1, 2024, and has served roughly 350 to 400 people. She asked council members to consider $20,000 from opioid-abatement settlement funds to cover about three months of operations and expand support services.
"I'm here today to ask for some funding for the opioid abatement money to help us continue what we're doing," Patton said, describing the center as a nonclinical, peer-run space that offers a food pantry, help obtaining IDs and benefits, transportation to court or appointments, and social events to reduce isolation.
The council heard that the center has had approximately a 2% reincarceration rate among its participants, which Patton contrasted with what she said was a state rate of about 38%. A presenter citing work by the Fletcher Group described an economic-calculator analysis that, for a cohort of 210 people served for one year, estimated a $12.44 return for every $1 invested and cited roughly $6,000,000 in total benefits tied to avoided criminal justice and health-care costs and social benefits.
City staff and council members noted that opioid-abatement funds come from a class-action settlement and that there are stipulations on allowable uses. The chair said conversations are ongoing with county partners and that police, fire and EMS historically have primary access to some of those funds; county representatives indicated the county might match city support if approved.
Council members asked about the center's biggest obstacles; Patton highlighted housing and reentry supports as recurring gaps. She said $20,000 would provide basic operations and allow the center to sustain services through several months while pursuing other funding avenues.
The council did not take an immediate vote on the funding request. Staff said the request and related options would be considered during upcoming budget-building and workshop discussions where the city and county will refine how opioid-abatement funds might be allocated.
