SAFE is thankful to Mike Beaudet and WCVB for highlighting the opioid abatement fund expenditure concerns in a recent news segment.
SAFE Coalition has worked with over a dozen communities in Massachusetts to advise, coordinate, and deliver community services related to opioid abatement funds. “Families and individuals who have been impacted by the opioid epidemic deserve these funds to go to support and recovery,” says SAFE CEO and co-founder Jen Levine. “We want to help make that process as quick and seamless as possible.”
Founded in 2015, SAFE is the only nonprofit in southeast Massachusetts offering wraparound, zero-cost substance use and mental health services to individuals and families. We have close, first-hand knowledge of the opioid crisis’s impact today and the complex landscape of municipal abatement funds.
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| Opioid Settlement funds |
Opioid fund expenditure plans are incredibly specific, seeking impact through seven key strategies including supporting people in treatment and recovery, building greater connections to care, offering harm reduction (like Narcan, fentanyl test strips, and safe syringe programs), supporting parents and families, and preventing misuse through prevention education.
SAFE has a team dedicated to understanding this expenditure strategy and working with municipalities to get it right the first time. “We can appreciate how this unique funding source can create gaps in municipal knowledge related to spending,” Levine says. “Our hope is to bridge that knowledge gap so funds can be allocated according to set timelines and expectations.”
Families and individuals have been impacted by the opioid epidemic for over 20 years. “By utilizing these funds, we honor all those who have struggled or are currently struggling and encourage people to get care before crisis” says Levine.
SAFE works directly with communities to deliver targeted services based on their highest needs. SAFE's services are designed to support individuals at every stage of their recovery journey, from individual and family support groups to youth education initiatives, peer-led programs, mediation, and counseling services.
We also provide practical resources such as diaper and car seat banks, medication take-back events, Narcan training, trauma-centered yoga, and CPR instruction – all designed to address the broader social and environmental determinants of substance misuse and mental health.
Through a trauma-informed, culturally responsive approach, we ensure that individuals in the community can readily access the critical services they need to improve their overall health, safety, and well-being.
Editorial note: One would think that after some of the reporting errors around the ARPA funds, that the major news organizations would have learned that there is time between when the funds are announced, when they are actually available, and when they can be spent. Municipalities can not spend money they don't have.
In Franklin's case, which I know from my years of experience reporting on, the Town was recently released funds, and notified of the funding flow for the next 10 years. The Town presented to the Finance Committee and then to the Town Council. The readily available funds are authorized for spending. The future authorizations extend out 10 years. Those funds are not in hand, and not yet authorized. So for the news organization to claim such inaction in spending is false and irresponsible.
Finance Committee meeting at which the funding allocation was recommended for approval (recap, audio & video links) -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/finance-committee-approves-recommended_0799398139.html
The Town Council meeting at which the funding allocation was approved
(recap, audio & video links) -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/finance-committee-approves-recommended_0799398139.html
The first authorization of opiod settlements funding occured in the June 26, 2024 meeting reported on here -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/06/in-marathon-session-town-council-cuts.html
