CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. — Clackamas County commissioners are expected to vote on Thursday, deciding whether or not to develop a recovery center for adults struggling with substance abuse.
The five-member board discussed plans during a county meeting on Tuesday, which includes purchasing the site of the former Clackamas Elementary School located on Southeast 92nd Avenue. The proposed location is just over six acres and is currently owned by the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District, with a price tag of $3.5 million.
On Tuesday, the center was described as a hosting a longer-term program with wrap around services.
"(Clients) may live there for up to a year. It's not the typical one and done, you've had a couple of sessions, so you're done. Or, you can stay here for 60 days and you're done," said project manager Cindy Becker. "We're really looking at what the individual needs are and putting together an expansive program to wrap around to help these individuals go through the recovery journey and go back to the community."
The county website says detox, treatment beds, mental health services, transitional housing and job skills development will all be offered, though the full list of services has yet to be completed.
"I'm really proud that we're now coming up with real resources that this state just has not had for a really, really long time," said Commissioner Ben West. "We set forth about a year or so ago that we believe that in Clackamas County recovery is possible and that the goal is for people to be healed and to be sober."
KGW reached out to the county and asked if the recovery center would be used as a treatment option for eligible people caught with hard drugs who choose to "deflect" into treatment in lieu of jail. The county said the recovery center is not connected to the deflection program in any way and is a separate program.
The county's meeting agenda from Tuesday lists the funding sources for the purchase of the site as Supportive Housing Services, Community Mental Health Program and American Rescue Plan Act funds, adding that no county general funds are involved.
The county says the framework for this recovery program was derived from recommendations made by panelists at the Clackamas Addictions Recovery Summit in 2023.
"It's the intent of the county to provide the seed money for the one time start up construction costs," Becker said.
As for the operation of the center, Becker said the service provider they select will then foot the bill for building and operating the center. She added that the state's Medicaid program will pick up ongoing operational costs and for those without insurance, payment would come from the state's behavioral health funds.
Becker added that the county is hoping to secure an experienced service provider in December, though they do not have a firm timeline detailing when the center would open.
Commissioner Mark Shull called the project a step forward, but cautioned against creating a program that's financially unsustainable.
"We need to make sure ambition and our enthusiasm for the project are in line with the scope of the project and the scope of the project should be dictated by the observed need in the county," Shull said.
Clackamas County Chair Tootie Smith ended Tuesday's discussion by saying it was a "very good day" during the meeting, while also remarking that the county just needs to "figure out how to pay for it."
"We're going to be creative; we're going to reach out to a lot of different entities," Smith said. "I don't believe the burden is solely going to be on our shoulders to pay for this."
The county website lists a funding goal of $35-40 million, but doesn't specify a specific funding source for construction and development, noting money could come from the private sector or state, local and federal sources.