The second-highest allocation for grants in several years has been provided to the Bartholomew County Substance Abuse Council.
Eleven grants will be allocated to eight agencies or organizations totaling $49,031, according to the council’s recommendations. Over the past six years, only 2022 provided more money for grants with $67,566.
Funded through the federal Drug-Free Communities Support Programs, the grant money is sent first to Columbus, program coordinator Rachel Flohr-David said.
The funds are then sent to the state, where 25% is set aside for statewide efforts, she explained. The remaining 75% is returned to the community and divided by the council to make grants for the Bartholomew County Substance Abuse Comprehensive Community Plan, she said.
Grants are made in three categories: prevention/education, treatment/intervention and law enforcement/justice. Flohr-David said federal regulations ensure that each category receives a minimum of 25% of the total allocation, and no one category can be provided more than 50%, she said. Since all work on the council is done by volunteers, Flohr-David says no administrative costs need to be taken from the grants.
After meeting on June 20, the council made decisions on what nonprofits and organizations should be allocated “through much discussion and compromise,” Flohr-David said.
The grant recipients unanimously approved by the Bartholomew County Commissioners Monday are:
Prevention/education: $18,287
- Family Services: $5,000
- Recover Out Loud (recovery leadership workshop): $5,752
- Recovery Café of Columbus (monthly sober social events): $300
- St. Peter’s Lutheran Church: $1,000
- Turning Point Domestic Violence Services: $6,235
Treatment and Intervention: $18,386
- Community Downtown and Community Church of Columbus: $4,048
- Recovery Café of Columbus: $3,500
- St. Peter’s Lifeworks (substance abuse treatment center): $5,800
- Turning Point Domestic Violence Services: $5,038
Law Enforcement/Justice: $8,039
- Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office: $1,440
- Columbus Police Department: $6,599
The remaining balance of $4,219 will be set aside for specific purposes by the county’s two largest law enforcement agencies. If needed, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) will request funds to obtain what Flohr-David says are essentially fake drugs. However, the fakes do emit a scent and are used for training police dogs.
The Columbus Police Department want to use their share of the remaining balance to purchase test kits for school resource officers. These kits are being requested because vaping of THC is becoming more common in schools, Flohr-David said.
THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is one of two chemicals found in marijuana that produces drug-like reactions in the body. Flohr-David says the kits allow the testing of vapes on school grounds and will be made available to both city officers and county deputies on an as-needed basis.
If either CPD or the BCSO start to run low on kits, Flohr-David said the law enforcement agency can return to the council for request additional funds. CPD will also use the funds for purchase additional breathalyzers so every patrolling officer will have one at all times, she said.
The grants still have to receive formal council approval in August before grants can be distributed, Flohr-David said.
By the numbers
Amount provided by the state to support programs in the Bartholomew County Substance Abuse Comprehensive Plan.
2024 -$49,031
2023 – $33,099
2022 – $67,566
2021 – $44,815
2020 – $36,890
2019 – $38,492
