The DuPage County Heroin/Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Taskforce announced last week the award of grants to local government and community organizations to expand their capabilities in the fight against the opioid crisis in the County.
The grant awardees and a brief description of each project are below:
• DuPage County Adult Probation – $25,000.
The grant will support the linkage of 40 probation clients most at risk of opioid overdose death with a recovery coach from the community to support them in their recovery.
• Path to Recovery Foundation – $25,000.
The funds will provide Peer-Based Recovery Support Services to individuals in early recovery in DuPage County.
• Serenity House Counseling, Inc. – $24,882.
The funding will support the provision of harm reduction treatment services to clients through Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) and Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT).
“Opioids and substance use disorder continue to claim too many lives in our community – especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Greg Hart, DuPage County Board member and HOPE Taskforce Co-chair. “The selected projects will offer innovative, crucial support to those in treatment and recovery in DuPage County at this difficult time when we are living through two unprecedented public health crises.”
The proposals serve DuPage County residents and align with two priority aspects of the HOPE Taskforce Framework: increase overdose response and provide integrated mental health and substance use disorder treatment and recovery.
“We recognize these grants help serve as a catalyst to inspire local government and community organizations to collaborate,” said Dr. Lanny Wilson, DuPage County Board of Health Vice President and HOPE Taskforce Co-chair. “One program at a time, we hope to address the opioid crisis by providing sustainable, impactful resources for those struggling with substance use disorder in DuPage County.”
The grant funding is made possible by the DuPage County Board, which has agreed to provide $100,000 annually to support the work of the HOPE Taskforce. In early 2021, the Taskforce will provide the focus areas for the remaining funding and announce funding for additional projects.
To learn more about the HOPE Taskforce, visit hopedupage.org.
