St. Petersburg allocates $1 million to fight opioid crisis
Reported by Genevieve Curtis
St. Petersburg, Florida – The city of St. Petersburg is allocating $1 million to nonprofits fighting the opioid crisis through treatment and recovery support services.
The funding will come from opioid settlement funds, with St. Petersburg receiving $6 million over 18 years.
“The number of addicts continues to rise and there’s never enough help for those who are addicted,” said Matthew Shafer, director of operations for Real Recovery Solutions, which runs sober living facilities in Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay area.
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While they themselves are not eligible for city grants, they work with a number of nonprofits that can use grant funding to sponsor someone.
“(The nonprofit) will probably fund two to three weeks of sobriety and give the recovering addict an opportunity to find work and start paying their own rent,” Schafer said.
The city said the funding will go to nonprofits that provide treatment and recovery services, overdose prevention and education, with priority being given to organizations that focus on areas like respite housing and peer support.
“I think peer-to-peer is often the best way to connect with other addicts. I’m in recovery myself, and I often hear there’s nothing better than addicts helping each other,” Schafer said.
Read more: PSTA increases availability of Narcan to reverse opioid overdoses
Schafer said one of the biggest needs in the region is making detox treatment more accessible and affordable: Most Bay Area detox centers are privately funded and require full payment or insurance.
This is a facility that does not have a long waiting list for a bed.
“(Drug addicts) are told, ‘You’re going to be bedridden for another three to five days,’ and there’s a lack of resources in underfunded and uninsured communities. I think this will be a huge help. Unfortunately, those three to five days can really be a matter of life and death,” Schafer said.
Nonprofits have until Oct. 20 to apply for some of the grant funding through the city of St. Petersburg.
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