A nonprofit that aims to help Portage residents with substance use disorder is asking for a third of the city's opioid settlement money.
Representatives with the Portage Recovery Association told the city council that they're seeing more and more people at their 12-step programs, but the rent for their facility on McCasland Avenue is putting a financial strain on the organization. They said they're looking at various options, but ideally, they'd like to buy their own building.
Council President Deb Podgorski said the city's plans for its opioid settlement money are still in their early stages. "We certainly are just starting to look into this. So we're going to look into it even further, and as [City] Attorney [Dan] Whitten gets more information to us, then we can kind of better know what else we want to ask of you," Podgorski told Portage Recovery Association representatives during last week's city council meeting.
Portage Police Chief Michael Candiano has also expressed interest is using part of that money to hire a police social worker. The new position could help connect residents experiencing challenges with mental health, substance abuse and homelessness to resources.