Op-ed: strengthen against addiction

By Alicia Bruce

Northwest Ohio knows how to pull together, something I’ve seen time and again as a social worker and Program Director with the Tri-County ADAMHS Board serving Mercer, Van Wert and Paulding counties. I see it also as the representative from our area (Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert and Williams counties) on the OneOhio Recovery Foundation Board of Directors, where Ohio’s opioid settlement dollars are being put to work to drive addiction prevention, treatment and long-term recovery.

In the Foundation’s last grant cycle, seven projects in our region received $583,086, with most funding supporting recovery services along with targeted investments in treatment and other efforts—local partners solving local problems. With Regional Grant Cycle 2 underway and the Grant Portal now open, it’s a good opportunity to build on this work. Here are a few ideas to help strengthen your proposal:

Focus on barriers. Recovery falls apart when the support basics fail. Transportation in rural communities, childcare for outpatient visits, safe beds for women and children, legal help to stabilize housing or employment—these are just a few challenges that can be overcome with the right ideas and resources. Spell out how your project can remove such friction points.

Link the chain. Some of the best efforts to take on addiction connect prevention to treatment to recovery, not in theory but through working partnerships. A court-based program that diverts eligible defendants into treatment should show the handoffs to counseling, peer supports, housing and employment, for example.

Show the math. How many people would be served? What are the projected outcomes at 6 and 12 months? How will they be tracked. If you’re building capacity—a van route, evening hours, a peer-mentor cohort—quantify it realistically.

Plan for after the grant. OneOhio’s dollars are meant to be catalytic. Show how a project will sustain the work with reimbursements, collaborations or local philanthropy.

Grants don’t only go to large, established organizations, smaller ones are eligible also. Faith-based groups, civic organizations and other community-driven efforts should consider applying or partnering with other groups to apply. If you run a volunteer driver program, a moms’ support group with childcare, a skills class that leads to living-wage work, you can be part of the solution—especially in rural communities where distance magnifies every hurdle.

Regardless of if you are big or small, know that accountability and transparency are part of the equation. The Foundation manages its funds for the interest of all Ohioans and grantees are performing work with these funds that are in service to the people of our state. Careful, responsible and effective use of funds are expected and tracked. Grantees should understand that and be willing and able to comply with accountability and reporting requirements.

OneOhio exists because the addiction epidemic touched every zip code in our state, every income, every education background. The settlement funds are a chance to invest in what works to strengthen our state and help all those impacted heal. Region 16’s first awards helped stitch together transportation, housing, legal help and treatment so that people are more able to rebuild. With more strong proposals, we can make that progress better and brighter for everyone.

Please visit OneOhioFoundation.com/Grants to learn more. Talk with partners in the next community or county over. If your idea helps someone get to treatment, stay housed, find work and keep custody, that’s an idea worth submitting. Our families, communities and state recover together.

Note: the author is the Region 16 representative on the OneOhio Recovery Foundation Board of Directors and a licensed social worker. She currently serves as the Program Director for the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services Board serving Mercer, Van Wert, and Paulding counties.