Staff member proposes using Opioid Abatement Authority funds for kinship navigator to help youth affected by opioid crisis

A staff member said a kinship navigator program proposed by social services director Gretchen Brown would be funded through the Opioid Abatement Authority to help relatives who take in children when parents are struggling with opioid use disorder. The proposal was described as a way to reduce foster-care entries and speed family reunifications.

The staff member described research on the epidemic’s effect on youth, saying the country experienced a “147 increase” in youth referrals to foster care during the height of the opioid epidemic and citing a National Institutes of Health study the speaker said found “50 percent of kids that age out of the foster system develop substance use disorder.” The speaker framed those findings as the rationale for using opioid-abatement funds to create a targeted program.

An agency official said kinship placements keep children with people they already know—grandparents, neighbors or coaches—and are less traumatic than placements with strangers. The official noted licensed foster parents typically undergo extensive preparation, while kinship caregivers often assume care with little notice and therefore need extra support, including help managing school, court paperwork and family dynamics.

A resident who described receiving help from the navigation service said the work can be hands-on: “They work behind the scenes for my good,” and praised a navigator named Shay for helping with paperwork and court steps. Presenters at the meeting said the navigator could provide crisis funding, case-management connections and referrals to the community services board to help parents progress in treatment so reunification can occur sooner.

The transcript does not record a formal vote or adoption of the proposal. It also does not provide implementation details such as a budget amount, timeline, or who would administer the funds; those items were described as part of the concept rather than as finalized decisions. Next steps were not specified in the record.