Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker announced the first round of organizations receiving money from the opioid settlement fund Thursday.
According to a release from the city, the total investment in these organizations is just over $1 million.
“I’m encouraged by the collaboration that’s been displayed to help move our community forward through meaningful investments,” said Mayor Tucker in a release. “I’m appreciative of the efforts of the National Opioid Settlement Committee as they led the effort to evaluate the applications and recommend the programs to receive funding. I truly believe we’re going to see positive outcomes.”
Earlier this year, Tucker announced the creation of the National Opioid Settlement Committee to examine how the money should be spent, as well as how to educate the community about opioid and substance use.
The first window for funding requests closed early last month. Those receiving money were chosen based on focus areas of prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm-reduction services.
In November 2022, city council created a mechanism to handle the roughly $5.7 million in opioid settlement money that was returned to Fort Wayne.
The state received about $507 million from the settlement between opioid manufacturers and the federal government.
Recipients:
YWCA Northeast Indiana – $90,000
Expanding residential and outpatient treatment for women and mothers with children and increasing access for uninsured and postpartum clients through subsidized care and childcare.
BHG Fort Wayne Treatment Center – $99,400
Expanding the EmpowerHer Recovery program to provide eight weeks of medication-assisted treatment for 50 uninsured pregnant and postpartum women.
Rise Recovery, LLC – $100,000
Supporting a nurse practitioner and peer recovery specialist to expand outpatient Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) services for 150–200 clients annually.
The Lighthouse: Life Restoration Services – $100,000
Enhancing behavioral health staffing and overdose prevention in its residential and outpatient programs for men in recovery.
Redemption House Ministry, Inc. – $100,000
Providing transitional housing and evidence-based recovery programming for women exiting incarceration, serving up to 100 annually.
Oxford House, Inc. – $100,000
Opening 1–2 new peer-run recovery homes in Fort Wayne, adding up to 16 recovery beds for justice-involved and housing-insecure adults.
Recovery Café Fort Wayne – $100,000
Expanding peer recovery circles, warm hand-offs to treatment, and Naloxone distribution to reach over 500 more individuals.
Project.ME FW, Inc. – $100,000
Enhancing street outreach, harm reduction, and peer recovery coaching as the Region 10 Recovery Hub, building on more than 149 overdose reversals since 2022.
RemedyLIVE (SoulMedic Media Group, Inc.) – $27,600
Launching the “One Pill Can Kill” campaign to raise fentanyl awareness among youth and families, generating 7.6 million impressions citywide.
Schools Care Inc. – $60,000
Expanding school-based WRAP prevention programming, equipping 3,000+ students with resilience and coping skills.
Harold W. McMillen Center for Health Education – $100,000
Expanding Choices Today, Options Tomorrow, a mental health and substance use prevention curriculum into more Fort Wayne high schools, serving 625 students.
Stillwater Hospice – $25,000
Expanding overdose-related grief counseling and education through the Peggy F. Murphy Community Grief Center, supporting 50 adults annually.
