Cherokee decides how to use opioid settlement funds
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has approved a plan to use money from a settlement with opioid distributors and manufacturers to provide a boost to an up-and-coming transitional living home on the Qualla Boundary that will help those in rec overy get back on their feet.
EBCI collaborated with other tribes as part of a federal class-action lawsuit. EBCI Attorney General Mike McConnell said he worked with the outside counsel representing the tribe, as well as several other tribes, to nail down a settlement with the defendants.
While McConnell wouldn’t say how much money EBCI actually received, he did note that the amount was determined by using a formula developed by the court to ensure a fair distribution among all plaintiffs.
“We are choosing to use it for services that help people who have had trouble with substance abuse,” McConnell said.
EBCI’s committee to determine how to use the funds was made up of representatives from various tribal programs, the hospital and the school system. The committee heard three different requests to use the money and decided to award the funds to RezHOPE, a nonprofit seeking to provide resources for people trying to get their lives back together after working through a substance use disorder.
Katelynn McCoy runs RezHOPE with her husband, Kallup, both of whom are in recovery and understand how hard it is for a person to pull themselves out of the throes of addiction. McCoy said that although she seemed to have a happy childhood with a family who loved her and graduated valedictorian, she also started using alcohol and marijuana at age 12 and opioids when she was 15.
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Over the span of her 14-year addiction, McCoy spent time in jails in surrounding counties and even did a stint in prison. After four months in jail for trafficking in 2017, she decided to get clean, something she credits to her personal faith and a strong support system.
Now a peer support specialist, McCoy said she wanted to give others in recovery a safe space where they can live while they get their lives back together. By offering that transitional living home, she believes she can take some of that stress off people during what is a vulnerable, difficult time.
“We believe that everyone deserves safe housing and basic means, access to food and healthcare,” she said. “Our home is designed to provide temporary housing for six to nine months so people can do that.”
The home is already secured, so the next step for RezHOPE is to get a mode of transportation so people can get to different places they need to be to further their recovery and reintegration back into society.
EBCI’s money from the settlement will go toward a part-time paid employee, as well as a 15-passenger van to transport participants to and from any number of places, including medical appointments and job interviews. During the August Tribal Council meeting, some representatives questioned whether a new van would be the best way to spend that money.
“Is there not something the tribe can assist with to get a better rate?” asked Michael Stamper of the Painttown Community.
While the possibility of getting an older van from the tribe’s motor pool was floated, along with buying a used van, EBCI Treasury Secretary Brandi Claxton said that wasn’t likely.
“It’s hard to get a used vehicle anywhere right now,” she said, adding that there wasn’t anything in the motor pool that didn’t need “a lot of work.”
While Tribal Council seemed enthusiastic, the representatives were also cautious. Council Chairman Mike Parker said he wanted to ensure the tribe does its due diligence to ensure RezHOPE isn’t “set up to fail.” At that time, McCoy noted that they have been working on site review, permits and insurance, all of which can be burdensome at times. In the meantime, Tribal Council encouraged her to continue to apply for more grants to make the process as easy as possible.
McCoy told the representatives that they are close to staffing up to the point that there will be at least one employee at the home 24/7 and that they are close to getting their first person in the home.
“I can’t wait to come in here at a later date and bring some of the guys in our program in and have them share how far they’re coming,” she said.
