Measure 110 is increasing access to vital services in Southern Oregon. $17.5 million in Measure 110 funding has been funneled into Jackson County, and more than $10 million into Josephine County. These grants will help bolster access to local harm reduction and addiction recovery services.
The Oasis Center of the Rogue Valley is using part of their Measure 110 funding to remodel emergency housing that will keep pregnant women and their babies safe while they wait for residential treatment beds to open up. Women who are unhoused or unsafely housed will receive priority for this housing. The apartments will be supervised, with peer recovery mentors there to support women on their journeys to recovery. Oasis, located right next door, offers a medical clinic providing prenatal, pediatric and adult primary care for families impacted by substance use.
“Almost everyone comes in with their kids,” Dr. Hecox of Oasis Center told the Medford Mail-Tribune last month. That’s why it’s been so exciting to see how Measure 110 money has not only provided funds to remodel apartments, but to also help Oasis create a kid-friendly space within the clinic where children can play while their parents receive care. Measure 110 dollars are also being utilized to help the Oasis Center:
- Buy and remodel a building to create more medical exam rooms and mental health therapy rooms;
- Sublease part of its new building to fellow Measure 110 grantee, Max’s Mission, a local harm reduction organization working to keep people safe and alive, and to connect them with treatment services if that is their goal; and
- Partner with fellow Measure 110 grantee, Family Nurturing Center, to offer a preschool class.
The Family Nurturing Center, with offices in Grants Pass and Jackson County, received Measure 110 funds to increase addiction recovery supports for parents in early recovery. Using Measure 110 funds, FNC has also been able to hire more parent mentors and increase respite childcare hours, which makes it easier for parents to attend therapy, treatment or court appointments.
The Family Nurturing Center is also using Measure 110 funds to expand its permanent housing program, which pairs property owners and managers with eligible FNC clients. FNC’s permanent housing program is notable in that it makes housing possible for parents who may have a criminal record, and because housing inventory in the area overall is so low. Without FNC’s permanent housing program and the strong relationships they build with landlords and owners, many of these parents would be unable to secure housing in the area at all. But property owners and managers trust the Family Nurturing Center. When FNC vouches for a client applying to get into permanent housing, the property owner knows that FNC will be there to support their client. They know that FNC will help cover costs like deposits or even rent, and that FNC case managers will visit the home each week to ensure that all is going well. They know that being an FNC client means that their renter will be engaged in classes that make it easier for them to find supportive employment, build out a monthly budget, and other life skills.
Jackson and Josephine County addiction recovery service provider, OnTrack Rogue Valley, offers a full spectrum of treatment services. They received Measure 110 funding to create more transitional housing for people who graduate from their residential treatment program and need a place to stay while they transition back into daily life. Like Oasis, OnTrack is also using some of their Measure 110 dollars to create emergency housing for people waiting to get into residential treatment.
State Representative Pam Marsh told the Mail-Tribune last month that Measure 110 grants are “going to organizations that are doing vital work in the community.” She further told the Mail Tribune that Measure 110 funding will “help families affected by substance use, provide opportunities for people in recovery to come together and support each other, increase the number of peer mentors, improve care for people who speak Spanish and much more.”
Representative Marsh told the Mail Tribune that “addiction treatment alone often isn’t enough to help people achieve and maintain recovery. They need the kinds of support services now being funded by Measure 110. …I’m impressed with the allocations made in Jackson County,” she said. “It will provide stability for some really good organizations into the future.”