Rural communities opioid response program-overdose response - the mediation and restorative justice center (MRJC) is seeking $300,000 in funding from hrsa's rural communities opioid response program -…

The Mediation & Restorative Justice Center Inc. (MRJC) received a $300,000 project grant awarded September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2026, from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) under the Rural Healthcare Services Programs (CFDA 93.912), specifically the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Overdose Response track. The grant supports expansion and enhancement of peer-led recovery support services in Watauga County, North Carolina, addressing critical gaps in treatment accessibility, recovery housing, and justice-involved services in this rural community experiencing higher-than-average rates of substance use disorder (SUD), poverty, and housing insecurity. The county's overdose death rate of 21.9 per 100,000 residents and the displacement caused by Hurricane Helene in September 2024 underscore the urgent need for community-based recovery infrastructure.

Under this award, MRJC will enhance four existing programs through its Homestead Recovery Center (HRC): Watauga LEAD, Recovery on the Inside (ROI), Peer Services, and Homeplace Recovery Housing. The project will deliver recovery support services to over 2,700 individuals and provide more than 1,000 peer support sessions, with particular emphasis on integrating trained peer support specialists (PSS) across crisis response, recovery housing, and justice-involved initiatives. This peer-led, community-driven approach aims to meet individuals where they are and address the interconnected challenges of SUD treatment, recovery support, housing security, and involvement in the criminal justice system.

Rural communities opioid response program-overdose response - the mediation and restorative justice center (MRJC) is seeking $300,000 in funding from hrsa's rural communities opioid response program - overdose response opportunity to expand and enhance recovery support services in watauga county, north carolina. This project will address significant gaps in treatment accessibility, recovery support, housing, and justice-involved services in a rural community struggling with substance use disorder (SUD), polysubstance use, and limited recovery infrastructure through MRJC's peer-led recovery community center, homestead recovery center (HRC). Funding will support enhancements to four existing programs: watauga lead, recovery on the inside (ROI), peer services, and homeplace recovery housing, reinforcing a peer-led, community-driven approach to substance use treatment and recovery. Watauga county faces higher-than-average rates of poverty, housing insecurity, and substance use-related harms, exacerbated by geographic isolation, limited transportation, and gaps in behavioral health services. In 2023, 58.8% of children in foster care were placed due to parental substance use, one of the highest rates in north carolina. Additionally, the county's overdose death rate was 21.9 per 100,000 residents, and local officials anticipate a rise in overdose rates and SUD-related harms following hurricane helene in september 2024, which devastated infrastructure, housing, and economic stability. These challenges reinforce the need for flexible, community-based recovery solutions that meet individuals where they are. With rcorp-overdose response funding, MRJC/HRC will serve over 2,700 individuals through enhanced recovery support services and provide over 1,000 peer support sessions. The project will expand peer support integration across crisis response, recovery housing, and justice-involved initiatives, ensuring trained peer support specialists (PSS) are embedded at all intervention points. The project will provide recovery housing assistance, sustaining watauga county's only recovery residences and increasing placement support for individuals transitioning from incarceration or treatment. The project will also enhance treatment access, including screening, treatment linkage, detoxification referrals, and transportation assistance for individuals seeking inpatient or outpatient care. Additionally, IT will strengthen justice-involved recovery pathways by sustaining ROI's post-arrest diversion services and expanding pre-trial SUD treatment alternatives through watauga lead. Overdose prevention and outreach efforts will be expanded through naloxone distribution, mobile peer outreach, and low-barrier engagement services to underserved populations. This project builds on MRJC/HRC's longstanding partnerships with law enforcement, treatment providers, and community organizations to create a sustainable, peer-driven recovery network that reduces overdose deaths, increases treatment access, and improves long-term recovery outcomes. By leveraging existing services, expanding innovative peer-led strategies, and addressing systemic barriers, this initiative will ensure that recovery is not just possible, but probable, for all residents of watauga county-regardless of economic status, justice involvement, or stage of change.