ONEOHIO RECOVERY FOUNDATION AWARDS $4.11 MILLION FOR 18 LOCAL PROJECTS TO ADVANCE PREVENTION, TREATMENT AND RECOVERY IN REGION 2
COLUMBUS, OH – Eighteen projects aimed at saving lives, preventing substance use disorder, expanding access to treatment, supporting recovery and strengthening community resilience in Hamilton County have been awarded a combined $4.11 million through the OneOhio Recovery Foundation's Regional Grant Cycle 2. The eighteen awards support locally driven, evidence-informed work that responds to the local impacts of substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health conditions, putting opioid settlement dollars to work where they can make a meaningful difference.
Ohio's opioid settlement dollars are most powerful when they reach the organizations and communities closest to the work of prevention, treatment and recovery, said Alisha Nelson, Executive Director of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation.
“Hamilton County’s awards combine immediate response with long-term capacity building,” Nelson said. “These investments will expand overnight crisis help and reentry support while strengthening recovery housing, employment pathways and the behavioral health workforce that people and families depend on.”
Local communities know their own needs, and these new awards reflect the priorities identified by local partners across the region, said Stephanie Summerow Dumas, OneOhio Region 2 Board Chair.
“People often leave treatment, incarceration or a crisis with several practical barriers standing between them and stability,” Dumas said. “These projects address transportation, housing, employment and continuity of care together, giving more Hamilton County residents a stronger bridge from an urgent need to lasting recovery.”
In total, Regional Grant Cycle 2 makes $45.7 million available across the state. Project funding directly serves people with substance use disorder, including those with co-occurring mental health conditions, as well as family members affected by substance use disorder, according to purposes approved by the OneOhio Memorandum of Understanding.
Region 2 Grant Awards
Addiction Services Council: $499,970 for AIM Team (Afterhours Individualized Mobile-Engagement Team): Overnight SUD (Substance Use Disorders) Crisis Response & Transportation to Treatment, which will sustain overnight, peer-led mobile crisis response and transportation to treatment in Hamilton County.
Brigid’s Path, Inc.: $124,000 for Sustaining Holistic Care for Babies and Families Impacted by Substance Use, which will sustain and strengthen family-centered care for babies and families affected by substance use disorder.
Center for Employment Opportunities, Inc.: $242,057 for Employment-Based Recovery Supports for Justice-Impacted Individuals in Greater Cincinnati, which will provide employment-focused support, barrier removal and coordinated reentry services to justice-impacted adults with substance use disorder.
Central Clinic, Inc.: $454,627 for Court Clinic Reentry Support Services, which will begin treatment and care coordination before release and connect justice-involved participants to continued services after release.
Cincinnati Union Bethel (dba HER Cincinnati): $300,000 for Creating Recovery Housing for Human Trafficking Survivors, which will provide safe, supportive recovery housing for human trafficking survivors with co-occurring substance use and trauma-related disorders.
Freestore Foodbank, Inc.: $237,050 for Recovery Ready Workforce Initiative, which will provide stipends, skills training and support for people in sober living who complete culinary or warehouse programs.
Joseph House, Inc.: $135,000 for Joseph House - Recovery Transportation, for the purchase of a 15-passenger van and to support a peer worker to help veterans reach medical, legal and recovery appointments.
LEAD Training: $500,000 for From Prevention to Profession: Youth Pathways in Behavioral Health, which will create a workforce pipeline to prepare Hamilton County high school students for behavioral health careers and postsecondary licensure.
Ohio Justice and Policy Center: $141,078 for Peer Support for Successful Reentry in Hamilton County, which will provide trauma-informed peer support to help formerly incarcerated people with mental health and substance use histories secure housing, employment, and health care.
Ohio Recovery Housing: $25,000 for Restoring Recovery In Hamilton County, which will help recovery housing operators make essential repairs and meet quality standards.
OneCity for Recovery, Inc.: $180,218 for Hamilton County CAPS (Continuum Care and Peer Support), which will fund a coordinator who connects people leaving hospitals and treatment programs with peer support, housing, transportation, employment and other services.
Oxford House, Inc.: $375,000 for Expansion of the Oxford House Model in OneOhio Region 2, which will expand and sustain the peer-run Oxford House recovery housing model in Hamilton County.
Prospect House, Inc.: $57,866 for From Release to Recovery: Expanding Treatment Access for Justice-Involved Men in Hamilton County, which will support a justice-system liaison focused on pre-release engagement, reentry planning and timely placement into residential treatment.
Serenity Consultants, Inc.: $77,760 for Employment Navigator Project, which will add two part-time navigators to help recovery housing residents find employment and obtain identification and other basic needs.
SJO Kids, Inc.: $124,000 for Expanding the Behavioral Health Workforce for Youth Impacted by Substance Use Disorders, which will create a collaborative framework that better aligns workforce investments with behavioral health staffing needs and services for young people.
The Crossroads Center D.B.A NorthStar Behavioral Health: $200,000 for Crossroads Center, which will fund specialized staff certifications and protected training time to strengthen treatment for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
The Crossroads Center D.B.A NorthStar Behavioral Health: $150,000 for The Crossroads Center Wrap-Around Supports, which will coordinate access to mental health and substance use disorder services for justice-involved individuals.
Thrive Behavioral Health Center, Inc.: $282,700 for Pathway to Purpose: Peer Recovery Support Career Pipeline, which will recruit, train, and retain 50 aspiring peer recovery supporters in Hamilton County.
Together, these awards will strengthen overnight crisis response, expand recovery housing and reentry support, reduce transportation and employment barriers, help babies and families, and build Hamilton County’s behavioral health and peer-support workforce.
All grant awards were approved by the OneOhio Board of Directors following a robust, multi-step process designed to ensure local input, integrity, accountability, and alignment with OneOhio's approved purposes. The Foundation is working with approved organizations to complete the grant agreement process and move funding into communities across Ohio. Grants are contingent on a fully executed grant agreement.
For Regional Grant Cycle 2, applicants first submitted Funding Inquiries through the OneOhio Grant Portal. Eligible inquiries were reviewed by Regional Grant Review Committees, and selected applicants were invited to submit Technical Applications. Where applicable, submissions were reviewed by the OneOhio Expert Panel to ensure alignment with evidence and the OneOhio MOU. Successful applications were then reviewed by Foundation staff and the Grant Oversight Committee, with final funding decisions made by the Board of Directors.
Regional Grant Cycle 2 builds on the Foundation's inaugural grant cycle, which awarded more than $45 million to 245 projects statewide. That first round supported a broad mix of strategies, including youth prevention initiatives, school-based mental health supports, recovery housing, treatment expansion, post-overdose outreach, peer support, supports for children and families affected by substance use disorder, and workforce development for the behavioral health field.
Grant recipients must submit biannual programmatic and financial reports, and the Foundation may request supplemental information or conduct site visits or virtual meetings as needed. These requirements reflect the Foundation's commitment to ensuring that every dollar is used responsibly and produces measurable and lasting impact.
A complete list of approved grant recipients can be found at OneOhioFoundation.com/GrantAwards. Additional awards may be announced as projects complete the review and approval process. Organizations interested in future funding opportunities should visit OneOhioFoundation.com/Grants and sign up for updates from the Foundation.
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