Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council Selects RecoveryPeople to Expand the Recovery Peer Support Specialist Workforce in Texas

(AUSTIN) — Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced today the Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council (OAFC or Council) voted to award RecoveryPeople a grant of up to $10 million to implement strategies that will increase the number of peer support specialists. A peer support specialist is someone who uses their lived experience of recovery from addiction to provide services in behavioral health settings to help others find success in the recovery process.

RecoveryPeople is a peer- and family-led nonprofit based in Texas promoting recovery from substance abuse issues and related mental health conditions.

“I want to thank all applicants for their hard work and encourage them to continue to apply for future grants,” said Hegar, who chairs the Council. “With this most recent grant award, the OAFC continues to fight this crisis by focusing on evidence-based abatement efforts.”

The grant agreement, once finalized by both parties, covers the costs of providing peer-to-peer workforce enhancement activities. The goal of the grant is to enhance the recruitment and retention of certified peer support specialists in the recovery workforce and to increase access to peer support services for individuals impacted by the opioid crisis in Texas. The grant agreement provides for a two-year term with an optional two-year renewal.

“As a member of the Council, I recognize the importance of enhancing the peer workforce,” said Dr. Denise Wilkes. “This peer-led and -governed support service can speak the language and connect with individuals who are difficult to reach through standard medical practices.”

The Texas Legislature formed the OAFC in 2021 to ensure money recovered through the joint efforts of the state and its political subdivisions from statewide opioid settlement agreements is allocated fairly and spent to remediate the opioid crisis using efficient, cost-effective methods. The OAFC is made up of 13 appointed experts and administered by Hegar, who serves as the non-voting presiding officer.

For more information about the work of the OAFC, including settlement agreements and other related documents, go to the Comptroller’s website.

_{The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts serves as the chief financial officer — treasurer, check writer, tax collector, procurement officer and revenue estimator — for the world’s eighth-largest economy. The agency also administers statewide initiatives, including the Texas Broadband Development Office, State Energy Conservation Office, Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council, Texas college savings plans and more.}