A proposal to allocate $1.8 million from Roswell’s opioid settlement fund for addiction prevention and treatment was referred for additional committee-level review.
The funds would be used to “identify organizations or agencies to respond to the opioid crisis through opioid response strategies such as, but not limited to, prevention, treatment, recovery, harm reduction, and/or education,” as stated in a staff report created for the Roswell Public Safety Committee, which met last week.
The wording stresses that multiple organizations “may be selected for funding contracts.”
The initial contract would last until the end of the current fiscal year, which is on June 30, 2026. The city would then have options to continue for up to three more years.
“Healthy minds create a healthy community,” said Councilor Cristina Arnold, who has been involved with the Jail Diversion Subcommittee of the Chaves County Behavioral Health Council as well as the city’s Public Safety Committee.
This past July, Arnold invited a group of local government officials and community members to hear a proposal by a high-ranking representative of a nonprofit care provider in Eddy County, to partner with them to bring some of these mental health services to Chaves County.
Philip Huston, executive director of LifeHouse Carlsbad Inc., informed the stakeholders that Chaves County has a significant number of residents who are underserved for behavioral health. Chaves has high rates of substance disorders and incarceration, and many are unable to obtain these services, Huston also said at the time.
“I’m all for what you’re trying to accomplish,” said Councilor Will Cavin, who then explained that he wanted more figures and other information. “Is there somebody other than LifeHouse?”
The city would follow Eddy County’s request for proposals (RFP), Arnold replied. That’s how LifeHouse established its presence in Carlsbad. Before creating an RFP, a budget adjustment to use the money obtained from opioid settlements is needed, said Councilor Juliana Halvorson, who also chairs the Public Safety Committee.
“The money isn’t helping anybody just sitting in a bank account,” Arnold emphasized.
Halvorson agreed and said, “We need to move forward with this.”
Directions on using the money are also crucial to this proposal.
“Eddy County did us a big favor,” said City Attorney Hess Yntema.
With the earlier RFP by Eddy County, Roswell staff and officials will have a good idea about what and how much to procure, Yntema also said.
Organizations that are selected must implement an opioid response project within the current fiscal year.
LifeHouse proposed in July to offer 24/7 mobile crisis response, crisis receiving and stabilization, comprehensive outpatient care, holistic support and jail transition services. They asked for $3 million in start-up money that could come from opioid settlement funding and government grants as well as “facility support” — a building to house a Behavioral Health Clinic, along with two sober living homes with a total of 16 beds. One residence for men and the other for women, according to past reporting.
Both Roswell and Chaves County have received opioid settlements, and a response plan was created.
The proposal’s next stop is with members of the Finance Committee. Final say about how these funds will be used is the responsibility of the full city council.