San Juan County Uses Opioid Settlement Funds to Provide Direct Assistance to People in Treatment and Recovery

By Hannah Fitzmaurice

San Juan County recently launched a new two-year pilot program that provides direct financial support for essential living expenses to community members who are actively receiving treatment for or are in recovery from opioid use disorder. The program, which is funded with $150,000 of the county’s share of settlement funds, will support participants for up to 90 days and will include assistance with accessing stable housing. This assistance can extend to kinship caregivers, and the program also provides oversight and case management so that participants receive wraparound services and other supports. 

The county developed this program to ease immediate financial pressures for individuals in treatment or recovery, and to enable participants to focus on their health and well-being. Richard Uri, the Chairman of San Jaun County’s Opioid Settlement Committee, said that he did not want to use their settlement funds toward overhead and other indirect services, but instead wanted to provide more direct assistance to individuals impacted by the opioid crisis. This program aligns with Principle 1 (Spend the Money to Save Lives), as the direct financial support it provides can help promote stability in recovery for individuals with the greatest need. For more information on the program, click here. 

Hannah Fitzmaurice is a master’s student in Addiction Policy and Practice at Georgetown University. Additionally, she is a Health and Human Services intern at the National Association of Counties as well as a policy intern at the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance. Drawing from both professional and lived experience, Hannah is committed to advancing equitable, evidence-based programs and policies that strengthen systems of care and improve outcomes for individuals, families, and communities affected by substance use and addiction.