United Community Center Awarded Drug Company Money For Addiction Treatment

Narcan nasal spray in a harm reduction vending machine. Photo taken Aug. 12, 2024 by Graham Kilmer

Milwaukee’s United Community Center will expand residential substance abuse treatment facilities using funding from opioid manufacturers and distributors.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced a new round of grants Thursday for projects related to the opioid epidemic. The grants are funded by a legal settlement with companies involved in creating the opioid epidemic. The state was a plaintiff in the massive suit, along with other local governments in Wisconsin and across the nation. The state is entitled to approximately $228 million in settlement funds, and has received approximately $75 million to date, according to DHS.

United Community Center (UCC) is receiving approximately $2.9 million to build a new residential treatment facility.

The community center has provided alcohol and substance abuse treatment for more than 40 years, a spokesperson told Urban Milwaukee. The center is providing treatment for 650 clients right now. Last year, more than 360 people used the center’s residential treatment facilities.

The organization currently operates three treatment facilities, one for men another two women, with 16 beds each. The settlement grant will allow UCC to build out an additional, 16-bed men’s facility, which will allow the organization to provide residential treatment for another 90 people a year. The average stay is three months, the spokesperson said.

The recent round of awards sent $21 million to local agencies across the state, providing direct funding for live saving drugs like Naloxone, brandname Narcan, construction projects, subsidies for residential treatment costs, law enforcement and tribal nations.

“We are making intentional investments in supports and services for Wisconsinites, ultimately helping to improve and save the lives of people experiencing substance misuse or substance use disorders,” DHS Director of Substance Use Initiatives Michelle Haese said in a statement.

Like the state, Milwaukee County is a beneficiary of the opioid settlement. The county won a $102 million settlement as part of the lawsuit. Like DHS, the county is using the funds to invest in county services and local efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. In September 2024, County Executive David Crowley signed off on $8.5 million in opioid related programming using settlement funds.