TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Keith Stahley, City Manager
FROM: Scott Archer, Deputy City Manager
SUBJECT:
title
Determine allocation of opioid settlement dollars in FY2025.
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
Result Area(s): Safe and Healthy Community; Welcoming and Livable Community.
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SUMMARY:
summary
Determination of how the opioid settlement dollars for FY2025 will be invested in substance use prevention and remediation. These investments can help prevent the decision to begin using substances, provide life-saving measures to those experiencing overdose and assist people with warm hand-offs to treatment options.
end
ISSUE:
Shall City Council allocate $647,340 to the five stated strategies below?
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
City Council shall allocate $647,340 to the five stated strategies below.
body
FACTS AND FINDINGS:
At the April, 2024 work session, City Council noted several areas of focus, including:
• Preventing city staff reductions with eligible uses;
• Saving lives with plentiful access to naloxone;
• Reaching impacted people experiencing homelessness;
• Providing first responder wellness.
Council could consider investing in:
|
Strategy |
Impact |
Responsible Party |
Budget FY 2025 |
|
Youth, Young Adult and Community Coordinator (1) and associated grant and supply funds |
Prevent substance use with young people, especially most vulnerable. Build awareness with parents, schools, and community at large. |
Community Services |
$189,340 |
|
Naloxone |
Interrupt overdoses |
Multiple city departments |
$8,000 |
|
Special Projects Outreach Coordinators (2) |
Help impacted people experiencing homelessness |
Salem Housing Authority |
$250,000 |
|
Assorted wellness strategies |
Support, health equipment and training for first responders |
Salem Fire Department, Salem Police Department, and Salem Housing Authority |
$200,000 |
|
TOTAL |
|
|
$647,340 |
The City has receipted $2,469,414 as of April 30, 2024 and estimates it will receive between $245,677 to $650,518 per year through FY2039.
This recommendation would fund two additional Special Projects Outreach Team staff for one year. Start times would be based upon staffing capacity, recruitment success and departmental priorities. This one year boost would allow for concentrated outreach, information and referral at Wallace Marine Park, Northeast Salem, and other areas of the City as needed, for a twelve month period.
Twelve months later, these limited duration positions would end. Opioid settlement funding is recommended to continue the two Homeless Services Team police officer positions (current career officer positions) through FY2030.
Special Projects Outreach Team staff will provide outreach and warm handoffs to services for people experiencing homelessness. This represents an expansion of these teams for twelve months. Access to temporary emergency shelter, in-patient treatment programs, and affordable housing will all be critical parts of the broader continuum of care.
This recommendation would allow the current Youth Development Services Coordinator to transition to the proposed Youth, Young Adult and Community Coordinator position listed above. Duties would focus on substance use prevention, and, in community advocacy to support youth in preventing substance addiction. The Coordinator would collaborate with school, county, and community based organizations. Several current general funded programs would not continue with this transition.
|
Current Youth Services Programs, funded by general fund |
Will the program continue, as the current Youth Services Development Coordinator transitions to be funded by the opioid settlement funds? |
|
|
Yes |
Yes with Adaptations |
Potentially Partially |
No |
|
One FTE position |
X |
|
|
|
|
1000 Soles |
|
|
|
X |
|
Backbone youth homelessness committee partnership |
|
|
|
X |
|
CARECorps |
|
|
X |
|
|
City Initiatives e.g. youth voice to state planning annual conference; Community Violence Reduction Initiative; talent recruitment; workforce development |
|
|
|
X |
|
Coalition Work i.e. Substance Use Prevention; Mid-Valley Suicide Prevention |
X |
|
|
|
|
Homelessness program development |
|
|
X |
|
|
Salem Keizer School District Intergovernmental Agreement Management |
X |
|
|
|
|
ILEAD Youth Summit |
|
X |
|
|
|
Skill building program mini grants for underrepresented youth |
|
X |
|
|
Some Naloxone will be available at no cost to city departments and community partners through the State of Oregon allocation to “Save Lives Oregon.” This state resource will supplement the city investment.
Assorted wellness strategies in Fire, Police and Salem Housing Authority can include counseling, training, equipment, and other eligible expenses. Secondary trauma is cumulative and may at times be severe for first responders and others within the City of Salem who consistently experience opioid-related emergency events. Counseling services offer a vital lifeline for first responders and individuals experiencing secondary trauma from such events. By providing a safe and confidential space, counselors can facilitate the processing of traumatic experiences and help build coping mechanisms. Through tailored interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, Acute Stress Adaptive Protocol (ASAP), and trauma-focused approaches, counselors can address symptoms of distress, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Additionally, counseling sessions can serve as a platform for education on self-care practices and stress management techniques, empowering individuals to prioritize their mental and emotional well-being. By integrating counseling services into support frameworks for first responders and affected communities, we can foster resilience and promote healing in the wake of opioid-related crises.
There are one-time investments that can make a difference in the health of our first responders such as Heartsaver lights, which provide a heart-healthy way of alerting firefighters to calls.
With all expenditures, the proposed approach would ensure funds are:
i. Delivered in a trauma-informed manner,
ii. supporting activities not eligible for insurance or other funding,
iii. prioritizing populations disproportionately impacted,
iv. helping existing programs and services which can strengthen sustainability at these locations, and
v. expended with urgency
BACKGROUND:
City Council discussed eligible uses and potential priorities at the April 17, 2024 work session.
Gretchen Bennett
Homelessness Liaison,
Human Rights Manager
Attachments:
1. Budget Forecast