The new recovery program will use Opioid Settlement Funds to help struggling Wisconsinites find affordable, safe, & stable housing.
Earlier this month, Gov. Tony Evers announced the Recovery Voucher Program– a partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Wisconsin Department of Administration.
What is it?
The program will help people experiencing homelessness, who also struggle with opioid addiction, find affordable, safe, and stable housing.
How much will it cost?
$2 million, to start.
Who’s paying for it?
The state will use a portion of the $11 million McKinsey & Company gave to Wisconsin leaders to address the effects of the opioid epidemic.
Why not tackle addiction first?
While many housing programs require beneficiaries to get clean before they’ll help them, this program uses a “Housing First” approach.
“It is extremely difficult to find success and stability in any facet of life if you don’t know where you are going to sleep tonight,” Colleen Homb, executive director of Lakeshore CAP Inc., one of the Wisconsin-based programs affiliated with this new initiative. “When we help someone find a safe, secure place to call their own, they can then begin to work on other life goals and overcome other barriers. It’s an important and powerful step.”
What’s next?
Now that this program has been introduced and affiliated nonprofits have been selected, people like Homb are looking for people to help.
“Opioid use disorder is such a challenging issue that causes stress on not only the person suffering, but their family, friends and our communities in general. To be able to assist people along their recovery journey is exciting and humbling.”
Click here to learn more about the program and how you can give, or get, help.
Cherita Booker Milwaukee native Cherita Booker attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and has worked in various roles as a multimedia journalist since 2017. She enjoys photography, dancing, and spending time with friends and family.
