Willamette Family, an addiction‑treatment nonprofit in Eugene, has secured a five‑year, $2.6 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The funding will strengthen residential services for pregnant and postpartum women and their children throughout Lane County.
How the grant will be used
The grant provides $525,000 annually for the next five years. Money will go directly to the organization’s existing residential program, allowing it to continue medical and mental‑health treatment, peer support, childcare, parenting classes and housing assistance. It also funds follow‑up services for families after they leave the residential setting.
Impact on families
Colleen Smith, senior director of community relations, said the program typically serves mothers recovering from opioid and stimulant abuse, mental‑health challenges and housing instability. She estimates the new grant will serve 67 women and 70 children each year – a total of 685 families over the grant period. Last year, Willamette Family assisted 837 families.
Addressing funding challenges
Nonprofits that provide health and social services to the most vulnerable have faced steep cuts to federal grant funding over the past two years. Because many supportive services are not covered by health insurance, Willamette Family relies heavily on grants and private fundraising. Funding shortfalls have already forced the organization to shorten its residential “Families in Recovery” program from 90‑120 days to 60‑90 days.
Historical context
This is only the second SAMHSA grant the center has received since 2003. The original grant in the 1990s helped establish the residential family‑treatment model that the new funding will now expand.
Looking ahead
Smith praised the grant as a vital step toward meeting the growing need for comprehensive addiction treatment for mothers and children, while acknowledging that more resources are still required to fully address the crisis in Oregon.
Original reporting: Homepage – Lookout Eugene-Springfield — read the source article.
