Arcata Allocates $370,000 in Opioid Settlement Funds to Homeless Services

At its November 5 meeting, the Arcata City Council approved a package of allocations totaling about $370,000 drawn from the city portion of national opioid settlement funds. The decision, reported November 13 and adopted by the council, directs roughly $154,000 to OurSpace and approximately $217,000 to the Arcata House Partnership, targeting immediate needs among people experiencing homelessness.

OurSpace, described by city staff as an arts and engagement program serving people experiencing homelessness, will use the funding to purchase a 30 foot mobile trailer and a haul vehicle. The mobile unit is intended to allow the program to operate in different locations across the city and nearby neighborhoods, bringing arts programming, engagement opportunities and outreach services to residents who may not access fixed sites.

The Arcata House Partnership will receive funds to rent 20 motel rooms from November 15 through March 15 for temporary emergency housing. Those rooms will be paired with wraparound services provided by the partnership to connect residents with case management and other supports during the winter months when shelter demand typically rises.

The settlement money comes from the state and local share of the national opioid settlements, a multi jurisdictional agreement that allocated mitigation funds to governments to respond to the harms of the opioid crisis. City officials emphasized that while the funding is a useful resource for immediate interventions, it is constrained by the settlement terms and by its one time nature. City leaders and service providers noted the allocations are meant to expand options and reach residents quickly, but that they are not a substitute for sustained investments in permanent affordable housing and long term recovery infrastructure.

Locally, the funding is expected to have practical benefits for Humboldt County residents who are unsheltered or at risk of homelessness. The mobile trailer will enable outreach to parts of Arcata and surrounding areas where fixed services are limited, and the motel program will provide a temporary warm and stable place with support services during the winter period. Service providers see the measures as filling urgent gaps while they continue to pursue longer term solutions and additional funding sources.

The council action reflects broader challenges facing communities nationwide as they seek to direct opioid settlement funds toward mitigation of harms and to align short term emergency responses with longer term housing and recovery strategies. For Arcata residents, the immediate effect will be more capacity for outreach and emergency shelter as winter approaches.