ROCKINGHAM — Nearly $170,000 will be dispersed to four local applicants in Richmond County’s fight against the opioid epidemic — and one group is disappointed they weren’t recommended.
The Richmond County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved the expenditure of $169,999 from the opioid settlement in separate resolutions — even increasing the amount requested by one of the applicants.
Social Services Director Robby Hall told commissioners that nine applications had been submitted following the latest request for proposals by the Drug Endangered Family Task Force.
(Disclosure: This writer is a non-voting media representative of the task force, but was not present when the recommendations were made.)
The county was set to receive $4.8 million over an 18-year period from the original settlement. In June, the commissioners approved entering another settlement, with Kroger, that would see the county receive an additional $255,616.56 over the next decade.
Hall said once the funding starts slowing down, the county would not be able to fund all current programs, so sustainability will have to be considered.
While DEFT makes recommendations for spending, commissioners have the final decision on how the money is spent.
The first resolution was a $75,000 request from Richmond Community College for a program titled Building Brighter Futures: Combating Addiction and Enhancing Job Prospects for At-Risk Populations.
The purpose of that initiative, according to documents, is: “to combat drug abuse and aid in the successful reintegration of individuals recovering from addiction and those recently released from prison.”
“Through partnership with local reentry programs and addiction treatment facilities, the program will provide job training, essential life skills, and comprehensive support services aimed at promoting sustainable recovery, preventing recidivism, and fostering long-term community integration.”
According to Hall, the RFP was designed to supply two $75,000 grants.
However, the second approved resolution — awarding $56,075.05 to Richmond County Schools for the Youth Mental Health First Aid Responsive Raiders training program — left nearly $19,000 extra.
The remaining $18,923.95 was awarded to Samaritan Colony Residential Treatment Program at SECU Women’s Recovery Center.
Construction on the 14-bed facility began in the summer of 2023 and it is expected to be complete by the end of this year.
The board has approved nearly $200,000 from the opioid settlement in the past year for Samaritan Colony’s treatment program for men.
Hall also presented a resolution for $10,000 of settlement dollars to go to Sandhills Best Care, another one of the recent applicants, to help cover the uninsured or underinsured undergoing treatment who were denied Medicaid.
When it came time to vote, Commissioner Andy Grooms suggested doubling the amount to $20,000.
Commissioner Justin Dawkins asked for justification on Grooms’ proposal.
“I think they can do a lot more with $20,000 than these programs that have yet to show any kind of results,” Grooms said.
After considering the needs in the community, Hall said that DEFT wanted to see a program to help those who wouldn’t qualify for Medicaid but would struggle to pay out-of-pocket.
“The other part of the program that we believe would be beneficial … would be that those individuals would apply, eventually, for Medicaid and become covered, which then allows them to continue treatment,” Hall said.
Commissioner Jason Gainey recused himself from the vote as he is the president of Sandhills Best Care. His wife, Dr. Tammie Gainey, opened the behavioral care facility in 2018 and the primary care side in 2020.
During the open forum portion of the meeting — which has been held after regular business for the past several months — representatives of Place of Grace pleaded to the board for consideration of funding.
Hall confirmed Place of Grace was another of the nine agencies that had applied for a DEFT grant.
Deputy Director Theressa Smith told the RO on Monday that DEFT was not able to recommend all applicants, adding: “Each applicant received feedback to assist them when applying in the future.”
Debra Richardson, chief financial officer of Place of Grace, said that during the meeting, she was “listening to all the wonderful things that RCC is going to do with that grant money” and thought to herself: “But we already do all these things.”
She said the RCC initiative is “a wonderful program,” then asked: “Where are they going to live?”
“We’ve been doing this for six years and never once have we received a dime from the county,” Richardson said. “But what we have received is poor, lost souls dropped off at our gates because there’s nowhere for them to go.”
Richardson says PoG has an emergency cold weather shelter during the winters “because the drug addicts will freeze to death and there is nowhere for them to go.”
“This is ugly. This is not pretty. This is not part of the community that anybody wants to deal with,” Richardson continued. “But that is what that settlement money is for — for those people.
“And you represent each and every drug addict in this county, just as well as the people that are in this courtroom…and I’m not sure that what has happened here tonight — that fact that we’re not speaking until after you’ve voted — I’m not sure that this is the best representation of what this county can do.”
Richardson said she wanted to be angry at each of the commissioners: “How could you do this? You know what we do.”
Richardson sighed before continuing: “But, I don’t do it because the county tells us to do it and I don’t do it because there’s money involved. We do it because God has told us that we have to do this.”
She then referred commissioners to the Gospel of Matthew, which reads (verses 35-36, NIV): “‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”
Richardson asked commissioners to ask themselves at each meeting: “Is this the best use of the settlement?
“Because I’m pretty sure it was intended to help the people that are under the bridge and the people that are in the crack houses,” Richardson said. “I think that’s what it was meant for, and we have a proven record of helping those people.”
“As well as helping some of the young people from going that direction,” her husband, Pastor Gary Richardson, added when she was done. “We are proven, we’ve helped a ton of people.”
Gary Richardson continued saying that Place of Grace currently partners with Richmond Community College for a re-entry program to provide education and job skills and with Sandhills Best Care.
“One of the biggest obstacles these guys have in trying to recover is having a safe place to lay their head and not have to go to the doctor’s office and get a shot and live beside a drug house or live in drug activity — it’s very difficult,” Gary Richardson said.
The pastor added that Place of Grace “Narcaned eight people back to life” this past year and took three to detox, and has worked with Daymark Recovery Services.
“Not begrudging anyone who got grant funding, it’s all needed everywhere it goes ‘cause it’s for the people in our community,” Gary Richardson said.
Place of Grace also works with housing those going through treatment at Samaritan Colony, Richardson said, questioning why the women’s facility was given money when it’s not even in operation.
“I’m just wondering why we weren’t considered,” Gary Richardson said. “‘Cause the only definition I’ve got on why we did not get granted was ‘the church would do it anyway.’
“That’s upsetting, because the church has been doing it anyway for about 12 years now,” the pastor continued. “We didn’t walk into that building with a grant, we won’t leave because we didn’t get one. It’s not about that, it’s about the partnership.
“It seems we’ve made a lot of partnerships with everybody but the county, and we’d love to partner with you.”
