Opioid Epidemic Practical Toolkit: Helping Faith and Community Leaders Bring Hope and Healing to Our Communities

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recognizes that faith-based and community partners eagerly and willingly step in to meet the needs of their colleagues, friends and neighbors — especially during a crisis. As such, we want to equip our partners to respond to the current opioid health crisis — complementing their compassion and local understanding with the expertise of HHS.

This toolkit, which is segmented into seven key areas, briefly covers practical ways your community can consider bringing hope and healing to those in need. To further complement this kit, we recommend signing up for our monthly webinars, which go into greater detail and highlight promising practices. Sign up by emailing us at Partnerships [at] HHS [dot] Gov (Partnerships[at]HHS[dot]Gov).

Since much of the funding to address the opioid crisis is being awarded to states, it is important to know that State Opioid Response (SOR) grant funds can be used to the provision of substance use disorder services by faith-based organizations. For more information, please read this letter from Shannon Royce, Esq., Director of the Partnership Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives, as well as this set of FAQs from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) - PDF that affirms states are allowed to use a portion of their funds through indirect funding or voucher programs to enhance client choice and increase program participation by a variety of groups, including faith-based partners. If you have any questions, please call the Partnership Center at 202-358-3595.