The Valparaiso City Council has voted to give $343,976 of the city's opioid settlement money to organizations helping those with substance use disorder.
Recipients would include Moraine House, Respite House, Porter-Starke Services and Strides Against Suicide & Overdose. Uses would range from substance use disorder treatment and counseling to building repairs. The Valparaiso Police Department would get money for a drug analyzer, while Healing with Human Connection would get funding for youth programs.
But a couple other requests drew more debate during Monday's council meeting.
The police department wants $50,000 to remodel its social worker's office. Chief Andrew McIntyre said the social worker currently works out of a closet in the records division.
"Our police social worker has received feedback from our community members that the current meeting space is unwelcoming and feels as if they are being interrogated," McIntyre told council members.
Meanwhile, New Creations, an organization helping men facing housing insecurity, wants $46,800. Board chair Ryan Peters said that would be used to expand a case manager to full-time status and hire another part-time staff member to work on grants and fundraising.
"The National Coalition for the Homeless has found substance abuse is more prevalent in people who are homeless," Peters explained. "In many instances, substance abuse is a result of stress of being homeless and not the other way around."
Still, council member Barbara Domer questioned whether that directly related to helping those currently living with substance use disorder. "The service that you're providing the community, it's needed, appreciated, but I just want to make sure that when you apply for restricted funding, that we're following the guidelines," Domer said.
She also suggested that the police department social worker's office renovation could be funded by other sources, specifically the Valparaiso Redevelopment Commission.
Council President Robert Cotton also opposed those two requests. He felt the city should save more of the settlement money, in case better ideas come up as the process continues.
"If you look at the documentation, it doesn't have to be that an existing entity is who comes up and meets these needs into the perfect extent of youth prevention, if you will, or whatever the case may be," Cotton added. "It's not a requirement that they are existing institutions."
It's now up to the Valparaiso Board of Works to approve the grant agreements.
