In an attempt to better address opiate addiction in the area, Athens County Children Services received a state-funded grant Wednesday that will generate a total of $134,100 for the department.
The grant was provided through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Efficiency and Innovation Fund, according to a news release from Children Services.
Athens County Children Services was one of 51 organizations statewide to receive the grant.
“This is a unique opportunity,” Robin Webb, spokeswoman for Athens County Children Services, said.
Webb said the agency hopes to combat opiate addiction by keeping children out of county custody, where they could be more prone to falling victim of opiate addiction.
Additionally, the grant will allow Children Services to seek service providers to work with children who are addicted to opiates.
The grant will also provide funding for an additional full-time employee, as well as a part-time employee who would help orphaned children stay out of the foster system, Webb said.
“We expect that the grant will be able to extend our ability to find kinships (for children who have lost their parents),” Webb said.
According to the news release, the average number of children in the custody of Athens County Children Services increased from 68 to 86 in 2014.
Webb said currently, only 30 percent of those children are reunited with their biological parents. The agency hopes to increase that to 60 percent.
“I can only speculate,” she said, “but I hope that the money will help reunify children with their families.”
Athens County Commissioner Chris Chmiel said he was glad the agency had received some of the funding it needed.
“There’s a lot of people that need help,” Chmiel said.
Chmiel added it was important for the county to focus on preventative measures to keep marginalized youth away from dangerous activities.
“(We need to) try to support more programs so kids are staying out of trouble,” he said. “If we can put funding in projects that will be proactive, we will be better off.”
Athens County Children Services Executive Director Cathy Hill also expressed gratitude for the funding.
“This is great news, the need is urgent.” she said in the news release. “And we look forward to collaborating with local area partners in developing new and innovative service models to improve outcomes for our Athens County children and families.”
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