Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker Announces First Opioid Settlement Fund Recipients

Fort Wayne, Ind. – Mayor Sharon Tucker today announced the first recipients of opioid settlement funding to help individuals and families overcome opioid and substance addiction. The total investment is $1.002 million.

The City of Fort Wayne’s opioid settlement payments are scheduled to run through 2038. Earlier this year, Mayor Tucker created the National Opioid Settlement Committee. The purpose of the committee is to recommend usage of the funds, convene individuals and groups to explore causes and responses to priority issues related to opioid and substance use, and educate the community about opioid and substance use.

The first window to request funds opened in September and closed in early October. The National Opioid Settlement Committee oversaw the review of the proposals and made recommendations on which entities should receive resources. Focus areas included prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm-reduction services.

Recipients:
YWCA Northeast Indiana – $90,000
Expanding residential and outpatient treatment for women and mothers with children and increasing access for uninsured and postpartum clients through subsidized care and childcare.

BHG Fort Wayne Treatment Center – $99,400
Expanding the EmpowerHer Recovery program to provide eight weeks of medication-assisted treatment for 50 uninsured pregnant and postpartum women.

Rise Recovery, LLC – $100,000
Supporting a nurse practitioner and peer recovery specialist to expand outpatient Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) services for 150–200 clients annually.

The Lighthouse: Life Restoration Services – $100,000
Enhancing behavioral health staffing and overdose prevention in its residential and outpatient programs for men in recovery.

Redemption House Ministry, Inc. – $100,000
Providing transitional housing and evidence-based recovery programming for women exiting incarceration, serving up to 100 annually.

Oxford House, Inc. – $100,000
Opening 1–2 new peer-run recovery homes in Fort Wayne, adding up to 16 recovery beds for justice-involved and housing-insecure adults.

Recovery Café Fort Wayne – $100,000
Expanding peer recovery circles, warm hand-offs to treatment, and Naloxone distribution to reach over 500 more individuals.

Project.ME FW, Inc. – $100,000
Enhancing street outreach, harm reduction, and peer recovery coaching as the Region 10 Recovery Hub, building on more than 149 overdose reversals since 2022.

RemedyLIVE (SoulMedic Media Group, Inc.) – $27,600
Launching the “One Pill Can Kill” campaign to raise fentanyl awareness among youth and families, generating 7.6 million impressions citywide.

Schools Care Inc. – $60,000
Expanding school-based WRAP prevention programming, equipping 3,000+ students with resilience and coping skills.

Harold W. McMillen Center for Health Education – $100,000
Expanding Choices Today, Options Tomorrow, a mental health and substance use prevention curriculum into more Fort Wayne high schools, serving 625 students.

Stillwater Hospice – $25,000
Expanding overdose-related grief counseling and education through the Peggy F. Murphy Community Grief Center, supporting 50 adults annually.

Since Mayor Tucker took office in April 2024, she has emphasized the importance of programs that are people-focused and needed in the community. The efforts, such as the National Opioid Settlement Committee, are designed to enhance the quality of life in Fort Wayne.

“I’m encouraged by the collaboration that’s been displayed to help move our community forward through meaningful investments,” said Mayor Tucker. “I’m appreciative of the efforts of the National Opioid Settlement Committee as they led the effort to evaluate the applications and recommend the programs to receive funding. I truly believe we’re going to see positive outcomes.”

More information can be found here – https://engage.cityoffortwayne.org/city-fort-wayne-national-opioid-settlement

The next grant cycle will open in January 2026.