Simon Fulford, executive director of Parrott Creek Child and Family Services in Oregon City, looks into a resident’s room. For months, his organization has tried to seek state funding for youth residential addiction services. (Michael Romanos/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Last August, the Oregon Health Authority asked residential addiction treatment providers to identify “shovel ready” projects to increase the state’s ability to care for adults and youth.
Within weeks, providers submitted details on 16 projects that the state could fund. Many providers had already purchased or identified buildings, secured some funding from other sources and hired contractors or obtained cost estimates to renovate or expand existing facilities.
But they all are still waiting for a funding decision, according to interviews and records obtained by the Capital Chronicle.
Providers need state money to respond to the crisis, with overdose numbers skyrocketing, hundreds dying every year and streets awash with fentanyl. Construction costs alone require a mix of funding sources, including from foundations and the community. State money is a critical part of most behavioral health and addiction projects – it can increase the size and the ability to treat more people – and nonprofits need quick responses to obtain permits, hire contractors and finalize plans.