Louisville Metro Council approved Thursday the proposed spending package for the fourth round of funding the city has received from lawsuit settlements with the pharmaceutical companies that fueled the opioid epidemic.
The bulk of the $2.9 million proposal from Mayor Craig Greenberg will go to expanding in-school and after-school programming aimed at preventing kids from developing drug addiction in the first place. There’s also $315,000 to help families that are trying to force a loved one into addiction treatment through Casey’s Law. That measure allows families to seek court-ordered treatment, but they must cover the cost of two mental health evaluations.
The only part of the spending plan that drew controversy was a $700,000 appropriation for a court diversion program for people experiencing homelessness who’ve been cited for “unlawful camping.”
District 6 Democrat J.P. Lyninger offered an amendment that would have required the city to come back with a concrete proposal for how they want to use that diversion funding.
“I think it deserves a little extra scrutiny, because this is … blood money,” he said. “People died and that’s why we’ll have this $50 million.”
Some Democratic council members and housing advocates had raised questions about whether formalizing the diversion program — which is what the Greenberg administration said the funding would be used for — would mean people experiencing homelessness would be required to plead guilty to the unlawful camping charges. Currently, judges agree to drop the charges against an individual if they connect with a service provider that can get them on the long path toward housing.
Metro Council members voted not to approve Lyninger’s amendment. Instead, they voted 20-4 to approve the spending package outright.
The city will next issue a request for proposals from organizations interested in the $700,000 for court diversion. The city is asking to hear from groups that provide housing counseling and addiction treatment.
A more detailed explanation of what’s included in this latest round of opioid settlement spending is available here.
