Faithful House seeks role in county opioid‑settlement planning as staff outline services

Mona Epps, chief executive officer of Faithful House (operating under Shalom Affairs LLC), told the Bertie County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 3 that Faithful House operates a local recovery house and partners with probation, the health department and Trillium for reentry supports and care management.

“Bertie County along with the other 100 counties, we had money from the epidemic… I know the state is proceeding that Bertie County will receive 1,100,000,” Epps said, summarizing the county allocation as she described Option A — the state’s 12‑indicator framework for spending opioid settlement funds. She said Faithful House already provides housing, recovery support services, distribution of naloxone, peer support and employment assistance and asked to be at the county opioid‑fund planning table.

Epps said Faithful House has partnered with local entities including probation and a Pitt County reentry council and that the program emphasizes housing as the primary umbrella for recovery supports. She offered board members a one‑page handout and asked staff to include Faithful House in upcoming opioid‑settlement planning. County manager staff later told commissioners they plan an opioid settlement meeting with key partners in mid‑December.

Why it matters: The federal‑ and state‑negotiated settlements produce multi‑year local allocations; how counties choose among the state’s spending options will decide which recovery and prevention programs receive funding. Faithful House’s presentation positioned its housing‑and‑reentry services as a candidate for a portion of Bertie County’s allocation.

What’s next: county staff will schedule the December planning session and circulate the state guidance and local handouts to partners.