Valparaiso residents with substance use disorder could soon get more help finding treatment.
The city council Monday agreed to fund a community recovery care coordinator position with opioid settlement money. The goal is to help remove some of the logistical barriers that could prevent people from getting the treatment they need.
The appropriation includes $60,000 of restricted funds to cover the position for its first eight months, plus $6,500 of unrestricted funds for a service agreement with MJ Thomas and Associates. "That is for any kind of grants that we might be able to go after with these funds," Clerk-Treasurer Holly Taylor explained, "and she has been doing some work and has turned in an invoice that we are holding onto until we get these funds appropriated."
The settlement money and any additional grants would fund the new recovery care coordinator for years, but City Attorney Patrick Lyp has stressed that there's no long-term commitment. The coordinator would not be employed by the city directly. Instead, the board of works has approved an agreement with PACT to oversee the position.