Washtenaw County is receiving more than $16 million over 18 years through national opioid settlements. The funds aim to strengthen local prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery efforts.
To learn how this money is being used on the ground, the Washtenaw Health Initiative spoke with two organizations that received funding: Dawn Farm and Eastern Michigan University (EMU).
Dawn Farm: Sustaining Recovery Support Specialists (RSS)
At Dawn Farm, the settlement funds are fully dedicated to sustaining the organization’s Recovery Support Specialist (RSS) program, covering two and a half full-time positions on a nine-person team. RSS are certified peers—people with lived experience in recovery—who support clients across all stages of care, from detox and residential programs to outpatient services and transitional housing.
Program coordinator Keri Jackson described the RSS program as “the thread within our continuum,” explaining that it supports people through all stages of their recovery, and even helps people remain connected to care after setbacks.
The program is so effective because of the trust between RSS and the people they support.
“People tell their RSS the truth because they trust us,” says Recovery Support Specialist Reggie Johnson, explaining that clients share their stories and challenges more easily with people who they know have experienced addiction as well.
Johnson offered a glimpse into what being an RSS looks like day to day. His work ranges from advocating for clients in specialty courts to helping them find treatment or community resources.
He added that even small actions—like taking a client to the hospital or answering a Friday evening check-in call—can make a difference. “If we get someone through one more night sober, we’ve done our job.”
EMU: Bringing modern prevention into classrooms
At Eastern Michigan University, co-directors of prevention Amber Horwitz and Ariel Pompey are using their settlement funds to deliver the CATCH Health Journeys program to Ypsilanti Community Middle School. The initiative includes CATCH My Breath, which focuses on vaping and substance use prevention, and a new Recovery Ally curriculum designed to teach empathy toward people in recovery.
The team aims to lead 100 middle school students through the nine-week course and to demonstrate measurable growth in knowledge and skills through pre- and post-program surveys.
Pompey emphasized the importance of using up-to-date prevention materials like CATCH Health Journeys, and the challenge of finding up-to-date materials that are school board approved.
“Older manuals still talk about TV when the real issue is social media,” she said. “And there’s no reason to go in and talk about cigarettes when vaping is the issue.”
She described the CATCH curriculum as “new and fresh,” adding that “students love it” because it’s interactive and relevant. The program’s focus on harm reduction and accurate information makes it more effective than the outdated “just say no” models of the past.
“In the past, it was about telling students what not to do,” Pompey said. “Now we explain what the chemical does to the body. They pay attention because you’re not just telling them what to do, they’re learning something new.”
Horwitz said the curriculum also helps students understand the roots of the opioid crisis. This is especially important for students whose families have been affected by opioid use. “We teach how addiction runs in families and how the crisis is affecting generations, creating generational trauma,” she said. “Students need the real history and tools to make informed decisions.”
The importance of sustainable funding
Both Dawn Farm and EMU underscored the need for reliable funding to sustain this critical work.
At Dawn Farm, Jackson said that while the RSS program is essential, it faces significant financial strain. After losing nearly $300,000 in funding last year, Dawn Farm had to stop accepting new referrals and reduce caseloads to protect staff capacity. (Only RSS program lost this funding, I would want to specify that and for that reason, we discontinued referrals only for the RSS program.)
“It’s crushing that we can’t offer [RSS support] to new people right now,” said Jackson. “But it’s the kindest thing we can do so the staff isn’t spread too thin.”
At EMU, Horwitz echoed the financial concern. Horwitz said the opioid settlement funding “guarantees we can provide these services for three years to Ypsilanti Community Middle School, which otherwise would not be able to happen.” She noted that her team’s work is completely grant-funded and “our biggest challenge is securing more funding”.
Despite financial uncertainty, both organizations remain committed to their missions.
Jackson recalled getting a phone call late one night after the losses to Dawn Farm’s budget were announced. “I still get goosebumps thinking about it,” said Jackson. “The director called and said ‘We’re not shutting [RSS] down.’”
For those seeking support, Dawn Farm accepts Medicaid, provides scholarships for residential treatment, and offers drop-in opportunities through HOPE Clinic and The HUB. EMU’s prevention programs will continue at Ypsilanti Community Middle School for the next three years, including Recovery Ally training for teens.
As opioid settlement investments continue to roll out, the Washtenaw Health Initiative will keep highlighting the organizations that are transforming those dollars into stronger recoveries, healthier families, and a more resilient community.