{"id":211286,"date":"2026-10-16T07:08:57","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T12:08:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=211286"},"modified":"2026-10-16T07:09:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T12:09:48","slug":"guest-column-recovery-grants-can-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2026\/10\/16\/guest-column-recovery-grants-can-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Guest column: recovery grants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Alicia Bruce<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In rural northwest Ohio, support for substance abuse recovery can be close and yet still be hard to access. For people and families affected by substance use disorder, addressing barriers such as transportation, childcare, and housing can be the difference between struggling alone and finding a path forward.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a licensed social worker, I can attest that removing barriers to treatment and enhancing options for recovery support is essential towards long-term recovery.  Today, I am also proud to serve on the OneOhio Recovery Foundation Board because the dollars we are charged with distributing give local communities a chance to support solutions that fit the places we call home.  These opioid settlement dollars play a key role in supporting prevention, treatment, and recovery support programs for local residents living in our seven-county region.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Alicia Bruce<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The OneOhio Recovery Foundation is a non-profit, charitable organization created at the direction of Ohio\u2019s state and local leaders to distribute 55 percent of the funds our state will receive from the pharmaceutical industry as a consequence of its role in the national opioid epidemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OneOhio recently announced its second round of regional grants, building on a first round that supported 245 projects across Ohio. The newest awards include $585,229 for six projects serving Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, and Williams counties. These grants support prevention, recovery housing, employment services, and community-based recovery efforts for people with substance use disorder\u2014including individuals with co-occurring mental health conditions\u2014and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The projects include a youth-led community connection initiative through the Fulton County Health Department and substance use prevention and education services through Pathways Counseling Center. They also include sober housing rental assistance for Paulding County Drug Court participants, furnishings for a new female sober living house, supported employment through the Four County ADAMhs Board, and United For Sobriety through Westwood Behavioral Health Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those awards reflect a lesson I have learned through years of work in behavioral health. Recovery is stronger when the basics are stronger. Young people need prevention, guidance, and healthy connections before substance use becomes a bigger problem in their lives. Families need information that reduces the stigma of addiction and helps them know where to turn. People in recovery may need housing, work, support from a faith community, or services that fit with their mental health needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is also why smaller organizations and local partnerships matter. Courts, health departments, behavioral health providers, schools, employers, faith-based groups, and civic organizations often understand needs that are easy to miss from a distance. When those partners work together, they help people move from one step to the next without getting lost in the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new awards build on earlier OneOhio investments in our area, including support for transportation, housing, legal help, treatment, and wraparound services. In rural communities, those pieces matter because one missing link can weaken the whole chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accountability has to be part of the work as well. Grant recipients must report on progress and spending, and OneOhio will continue learning from the projects it funds so future rounds can be even stronger. Additional awards may also be announced as projects finish the review and approval process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No grant can repair every harm our communities have experienced due to the opioid epidemic, but funding can make next steps clearer. It can remove barriers, support local ideas, and make help easier to find. For northwest Ohio, that means more people can obtain the services, stability, and hope that allow healing to begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s note: Alicia Bruce represents Region 16 on the OneOhio Recovery Foundation Board of Directors and serves as deputy director for the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services Board serving Mercer, Van Wert and Paulding counties. Region 16 includes Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert and Williams counties.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Alicia Bruce In rural northwest Ohio, support for substance abuse recovery can be close and yet still be hard to access. For people and families affected by substance use disorder, addressing barriers such as transportation, childcare, and housing can be the difference between struggling alone and finding a path forward.   As a licensed social […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-211286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinions"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-10-23 15:55:12","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211286"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":211288,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211286\/revisions\/211288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}