First Round of Measure 110 Grants Awarded to Help Curb Oregon’s Addiction Crisis

114 grant proposals were received from organizations all over the state, totaling $40 million in asks. The Legislature approved $20 million for release this biennium.

This legislative session lawmakers agreed to release $20 million in Measure 110 funds early in recognition of the tremendous need for more addiction recovery and harm reduction services throughout the state. Grantees have been announced, and funds will be awarded to organizations by June 8, 2021.

This first round of Measure 110 grants will increase access to:

Multiple methods of Substance Use Disorder treatment;
Peer delivered services such as outreach, recovery mentoring, and housing retention;
Transitional, recovery, and supportive housing;
Employment programs;
Community service navigation; and
Harm reduction and overdose prevention services.

Grant proposals were evaluated and selected by an 18-person Evaluation Committee that included Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Department of Human Services staff, as well as members of the Measure 110 Oversight and Accountability Council. Funding priority was given to 48 community-based non-profit organizations and governmental entities to support their programming through the end of the calendar year. The Oregon Health Authority received 114 proposals from community organizations all over the state, totaling $40 million in asks.

“Oregon ranks nearly last out of all 50 states when it comes to providing access to treatment,” said Tera Hurst, Executive Director of the Health Justice Recovery Alliance. “This initial $20 million will help providers serve some of the most vulnerable people in our community. The initial grant process highlights what many of us already knew: that there is a desperate need for more investment in addiction recovery and harm reduction services — especially for programs that are culturally and linguistically specific. We have a long way to go toward meeting the need, but this initial round of funding can give hope and shows the commitment of the legislature to invest in these life saving services.”

Throughout the legislative session the Health Justice Recovery Alliance has advocated for the early release of Measure 110 funds. Oregon was already in the midst of an addiction crisis before COVID-19, and the pandemic has only made things worse. Drug overdoses were up 70% during the spring of 2020 compared to that same timeframe in 2019.

“We feel privileged and grateful to be included in this first round of Measure 110 grant funding, which will allow us to enact phase one of the expansion of our Engagement and Mobile Response team,” said Lori Paris, Executive Director of Addictions Recovery Center in Medford. “Expanding this trauma-informed and culturally responsive team is necessary to further reflect the cultural and linguistic makeup of our community, and adequately meet the specific needs of those we serve. The expansion of our Engagement and Mobile Response team is also critical to our ability to increase access to ARC’s substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services. By meeting people where they are, and providing them a safe space that reflects their unique needs, we will provide many marginalized individuals with an opportunity to lift themselves out of sickness and recover from generations of systemic discrimination and stigma.”

$1.7 million went to cover the Oregon Health Authority’s administrative expenses and allow them to hire staff to help implement Measure 110. Of the approximately $18 million remaining, the breakdown of funding is as follows:

$2.9 million (twenty percent) allocated specifically to tribes;
$6.4 million in grant extensions to addiction recovery and harm reduction providers already contracted with the state; and
$8.9 million in additional grants for proposals that most closely aligned with the priorities and values of measure 110.

A complete list of organizations and programs granted can be found here.

“Roughly 14 percent of Oregon’s population identifies as Latinx, yet the state is home to only one residential treatment center that offers culturally and linguistically-specific addiction recovery services for our community,” said Fernando Pena, Operations Director of Northwest Instituto Latino De Adicciones. “It’s time for Oregon’s treatment and recovery sectors to represent the communities they serve. Funding from Measure 110 will allow us to provide culturally-specific peer support that is a key in helping people move from active addiction to long-term recovery.”

A major priority for Measure 110 funding is ensuring that the law centers on the needs of communities most harmed by the War on Drugs: Black, Latinx, Native and tribal communities. “These funds can help us address the racist War on Drugs’ disproportionate impact on Black and Brown people by providing housing for Black individuals transitioning out of incarceration, and allowing us to hire additional peer support specialists to help people in their Substance Use Disorder recovery journey,” said Larry Turner, Executive Director of Fresh Out Community-Based Re-entry Program. “The war on drugs has created harm that spans generations, and it’s going to take a lot of work to address these harms so that our community can begin to heal. A lot more funding is needed to help us meet the need, but this first grant is an important first step toward healing — and one that is long overdue.”

About Measure 110, the Drug Addiction Treatment & Recovery Act
The Drug Addiction Treatment & Recovery Act is part of a growing, global movement to shift to a health-based, treatment-over-punishment model of supporting individuals experiencing Substance Use Disorder. Oregon’s new law expands access to treatment and removes unfairly harsh punishments for minor, nonviolent drug offenses, so people with addiction can more easily recover. Oregon’s new law does not legalize any drugs. Learn more about how Oregon’s new law works here.

About the Health Justice Recovery Alliance
The Oregon Health Justice Recovery Alliance is a statewide advocacy coalition whose work is focused on successful implementation of the Drug Addiction Treatment & Recovery Act (Measure 110). The Alliance works to ensure that the new law centers on the needs of communities most harmed by the War on Drugs: Black, Latinx, Native and tribal communities. The coalition represents more than 75 community-based organizations across the state with deep knowledge and experience working to serve and strengthen local communities: medical associations, culturally-specific organizations, labor, harm reduction and recovery providers and advocates, people in recovery and more.