Council approves third opioid settlement request; 'Emergency Assistance Collaborative' to share $150,000
Eight non-profit organizations, led by the Catholic Charities Neighborhood Center, will collaborate to expand programs for rental assistance and payment of utility bills.
Wheeling, W. Va. – When six of seven city council members voted to spend opioid settlement funds on a side-by-side, covert cameras, and a K9 unit for the Wheeling Police Department, councilors guaranteed future disbursement of funds would benefit people with substance use disorders. They appear to have made good on that promise.
On Tuesday, June 4, four council members–constituting a slim quorum–unanimously approved a request for use of opioid settlement funds by the ‘Emergency Assistance Collaborative.’
Led by Catholic Charities Neighborhood Center, and joined by the Ohio Co. Family Resource Network, Greater Wheeling Coalition for the Homeless, Life Hub, House of the Carpenter, NAMI Greater Wheeling, Laughlin Chapel, and YWCA Wheeling, the Collaborative says it will “create a streamlined process for community-based organizations” to address the needs of those with “Opioid Use Disorder.”
A majority of the funds–$120,000–will go towards an emergency assistance fund to cover rent, rental deposits, and utility payments for households in need. Catholic Charities will use the remaining $30,000 for a staff position to oversee payments and reporting, as well as coordinating with the Collaborative’s partners.
Households requesting assistance from the Collaborative will follow an intake process with one of the eight partner agencies where Wheeling residency and impact from the opioid epidemic can be established. Households can benefit from the program just once in a twelve month period.
Rent payments are limited to ‘fair market’ prices determined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development–classified as $607 for an efficiency apartment, $714 for a one-bedroom, $895 for a two-bedroom, $1,163 for a three-bedroom, and $1,329 for a four-bedroom. Households can also apply for funds to cover a rental deposit or to pay up to $300 in utility bills.
In a letter to the city, the Collaborative justified its request by citing the Schedule B and C of the West Virginia First Foundation Memorandum of Understanding. Schedule B approves use of settlement funds for, among other things, housing assistance programs. Schedule C allows funds to support non-profit organizations providing intervention services to communities.
The Collaborative argued in their letter that the funding will allow partnering organizations to “expand assistance to more individuals residing in the city who have experienced the devastating effects of the Opioid Crisis.” The group ended their request, saying “this project…will not only connect more residents of Wheeling to treatment, but prevent homelessness and truly help the individuals directly impacted by the actions of the pharmaceutical companies.”
With this latest request, the City of Wheeling has now spent $695,769.23 in opioid settlement funds. City manager Robert Herron told the Public Safety Commission in May that the W. Va. First Foundation gave the city some $726,000 for a “first round” of funds, meaning there may be just $30,000 still available.