Title
To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a CARITAS Grant Agreement between the City of Richmond and CARITAS for the purpose of funding the creation and implementation of a Peer Recovery Specialist training program.
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§ 1. That the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, be and is hereby authorized to execute a CARITAS Grant Agreement between the City of Richmond and CARITAS for the purpose of funding the creation and implementation of a Peer Recovery Specialist training program. The CARITAS Grant Agreement shall be approved as to form by the City Attorney and shall be substantially in the form of the document attached to this ordinance.
§ 2. This ordinance shall be in force and effect upon adoption.
City of Richmond
Intracity Correspondence
DATE: January 29, 2025
TO: The Honorable Members of City Council
THROUGH: The Honorable Dr. Danny Avula, Mayor
THROUGH: Sabrina Joy-Hogg, Interim Chief Administrative Officer
THROUGH: Sheila White, Director of Finance
THROUGH: Meghan Brown, Director of Budget and Strategic Planning
THROUGH: Traci DeShazor, DCAO for Human Services
FROM: J.D. Ratliff, Policy Advisor
RE: Funding for CARITAS’ Peer Recovery Specialist Training Program
ORD. OR RES. No.
PURPOSE: To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Grant Contract of $198,380 between the City of Richmond and CARITAS for the purpose of funding the creation and implementation of a Peer Recovery Specialist (PRS) training program at CARITAS.
BACKGROUND: By Res. No. 2018-R094, adopted Nov. 13, 2018, the City Council established a policy to pursue legal action on behalf of the City against drug manufacturers and distributors of opioids. Subsequent ordinances and resolutions - Ord. No. 2021-234 adopted Sept. 27, 2021, and Res. No. 2021-R078, adopted Dec. 13, 2021, - authorized the City’s agreement with the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority and participation in various settlements. In accordance with these agreements, Virginia’s cities and counties, including the City of Richmond, received their first direct distribution payments from the Distributors settlement during FY2022. The City of Richmond will continue to receive annual payments from the Distributors settlement until the year 2039.
Ordinance No 2023-293 authorized the City of Richmond to accept $1,259,411.69 of direct settlement funds that had been received at the time, and appropriated these funds to a new National Opioid Settlement Special Fund in what is now called the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services. In keeping with the settlement agreements, the City continues to receive wired payments from the settlements that require appropriation.
This ordinance will allow the City of Richmond Department of Neighborhood and Community Services (DNCS) subgrant $198,380.00 to CARITAS for creation and implementation of a Peer Recovery Specialist (PRS) training program. This program, provided to residents of the City of Richmond who have co-occurring opioid use disorders, substance use disorders, and mental health conditions, will train prospective Peer Recovery Specialists and embed them in CARITAS treatment programs. Peer Recovery Specialists provide substance use disorder and mental health condition non-clinical, person-centered, strengths-based, wellness-focused, and trauma informed support while helping to support the client in sustainable recovery. Broadening the scope of recovery services to include co-occurring substance use disorder and/or mental health conditions is considered to be an expansion of warm hand-off programs and recovery services, both of which are considered to be core strategies for allowable uses of opioid abatement and remediation funds. Additionally, supporting people in treatment and recovery from these conditions by providing counseling, peer support, and recovery case management ins an approved use within the list of allowed opioid remediation uses in all National Opioid Settlements.
The funds for this project will be taken from the National Opioid Settlement Special Fund under the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services, specifically payments from the opioid manufacturer Janssen. On October 18, 2022, Janssen paid the City of Richmond $61,163.07 and $142,694.68 in two separate payments titled “Janssen Payment 1” and “Janssen Payment 2,” respectively. The subgrant to CARITAS will use all of Janssen Payment 1 and $137,216.93 of Janssen Payment 2.
This CARITAS investment was identified during the first phase of the City’s opioid settlement efforts following direct distributions from opioid manufacturers and distributors in the fiscal years of 2022 and 2023. Given the urgency of the opioid crisis, and in keeping with the opioid settlement requirements, the Administration set out to make a small number of immediate investments while standing up public-facing processes for selecting future community grants and investments. The City of Richmond’s internal team of subject matter experts, led by the DCAO for Human Services and our Policy Advisor for Opioid Response, identified a small number of strategic opportunities that were aligned and informed by priorities identified by the Richmond Opioid Task Force and more than a year of additional stakeholder engagement. This project was among those identified. The team has subsequently established an open RFP process for opioid grants and additional structures for the Richmond Opioid Task Force to identify funding priorities.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Opioid abatement and remediation strategies utilized by the City of Richmond have and continue to be informed by significant stakeholder engagement and developed with direct input and support from external agencies and subject matter experts, including those on the Richmond Opioid Task Force.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL: RES. 2022-R013 declaring opioid drug overdose deaths as a public health crisis in the City of Richmond; Richmond Opioid Task Force.
FISCAL IMPACT: The funds used for this project are from the National Opioid Settlement Special Fund. This will decrease the Special Fund Budget by $198,380.00 for FY2025. There is no city match requirement.
DESIRED EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon adoption
REQUESTED INTRODUCTION DATE: March 24, 2025
CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING DATE: April 14, 2025
REQUESTED AGENDA: Consent agenda
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development
AFFECTED AGENCIES: Budget and Strategic Planning, Finance, Neighborhood and Community Services
RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING ORD. OR RES.: Res. No. 2018-R094; Ord. No. 2021-234; Res. No. 2021-R078; Resolution 2022-R013; Res. No. 2023-R010; Ord. No. 2023-293; Ord. No. 2024-099
ATTACHMENTS: Janssen Settlement Exhibit E Approved Uses
STAFF: Michael Fatula, Opioid Response Coordinator, 804-944-7291, Michael.fatula@rva.gov <mailto:Michael.fatula@rva.gov>
J.D. Ratliff, Policy Advisor, 804-646-6056, James.Ratliff@rva.gov <mailto:James.Ratliff@rva.gov>