BILLINGS — Over the next 18 years, Montana is receiving $78 million of a $26 billion national opioid settlement and the Yellowstone County Metro Region Committee met again on Thursday to vote for which organizations will move forward to receive funding from the abatement trust.
“I would really hope that with this money, we can make a meaningful dent in helping people who have struggled with addiction, recover from it, but also really have a sizable amount of the money going towards preventing people from getting addicted to these substances in the first place,” Eric Owen, the committee chair, said on Thursday. "As a committee, we vote on which of the proposals we would like to fund. After that, we sit down with the organization and discuss what a budget would look like for the project."
Last month, the committee heard pitches from 11 varying organizations hoping to get funding. During Thursday's meeting, the committee voted on which organizations they believe should move forward for funding consideration. Six organizations were chosen, included Step, Inc., a longtime Billings nonprofit that widened its offerings to include sober living homes in 2019.
“We want to expand our women and children's program," said the executive director of Step, Tara Williamson. "I just look forward to helping people live better lives and making an impact on the devastation that can result from substance use.”
Williamson knows firsthand how much someone goes through when battling addiction.
"I personally have substance use disorder. I've been in recovery for 25 years," Williamson said. "My biological mother was in prison for much of my childhood. She was a meth addict and so I know firsthand what it's like to have a parent who is struggling with addiction. And then I know what it's like to get into recovery from addiction myself."
Andrea Beer experienced what no mother should have to go through. After 10 years of battling addiction, her son John died of a fentanyl overdose nearly three years ago.
“My son. He took a half a pill. He died off of a half a pill,” Beer said. “I found my son. I did CPR.”
In the first year, Yellowstone County will have over $1.4 million to allocate. In the second and third years respectively, the county will have $986,000.
“If we have more resources available, we will save people,” Beer said. “If you're struggling, reach out to somebody because we have to get rid of the stigma of addiction.”
Jennifer Benjamin has a similar story.
“I lost my 26-year-old son to a fentanyl addiction. We really struggle with not seeing a lot of changes in the three years that since he's passed away there's not a lot of prevention and education being put out there,” Benjamin said. “It gives me some hope for our community that they're looking at the opioid crisis and wanting to do something about it”
Another meeting will be held next month when the committee will decide what funding is given to each organization.
