Settlement Story of the Month

The IGNITE program teaches incarcerated people skills like financial literacy and job interviewing, with a goal of reducing recidivism.

As large sums of money from opioid settlements trickle into Ohio communities, some are choosing to fund law enforcement programs. That’s sparked a debate about the most effective use of the money.

Many rural Ohio communities are receiving small settlements from opioid manufacturers. They’re getting creative to ensure the small boost makes a large impact.

Scioto County rejected the state’s $800 million settlement in 2021 with the nation’s three biggest opioid distributors. Some locals felt it deserved a bigger share of the funds. Now, its case is stuck in an Ohio court.

Hamilton County has already received upwards of $7 million in opioid settlements, with millions more to come. How is the county spending its payout?

A new database tracks how state and local governments across the country are spending billions of dollars in opioid settlement funds. In Ohio, about half of those funds are untraceable.

Keys 2 Serenity, a Summit County nonprofit, is one of hundreds of grant applicants who didn’t get funding from the OneOhio Recovery Foundation this round. The group wants to build a support group for teens and young adults who lost a parent to the opioid crisis.

An organization in central Ohio unveiled a new tool last month to better meet the needs of its growing unhoused population. The Soap-n-Hope Mobile Hygiene Unit is a 32-foot-long trailer equipped with showers and laundry machines.

Cuyahoga and Summit counties were the first in Ohio to sue opioid makers and distributors. Now, they have to decide how distribute the payout.

The OneOhio Recovery Foundation is charged with distributing 55% of the state’s opioid settlement funds. But some families and harm reduction groups are concerned the board lacks racial diversity.