The Porter County Commissioners have outlined a process for distributing opioid settlement funds going forward. The commissioners Tuesday established a committee to oversee a grant application process.
Commissioner Barb Regnitz said it will include one commissioner, two county council members and two citizen appointments. "That group will be reviewing different grant applications and recommending awardees, at both the commissioners meeting and at the council meeting," Regnitz explained.
Residents interested in serving on the committee have until January 26 to apply.
Porter County has already used some of the opioid settlement money on Sheriff's Office social workers, roof repairs at Moraine House in Valparaiso and the Portage Recovery Association's nonalcoholic Next Chapter Café, among other uses.
Jake Monhaut with the Portage Recovery Association said things are going really well, thanks to the $10,000 the organization got from the county. "We have programming every single day. We're open seven days a week now, completely volunteer-based, so far," Monhaut explained.
He said he looks forward to continuing the organization's relationship with the county, saying he'd like to have a 24-hour facility in the next few years.