RICHMOND, Va. β A $100 million federal initiative aimed at tackling addiction, homelessness and mental health is one of the Trump administration's latest efforts to address the substance abuse crisis. The pilot program comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order related to addiction recovery last week.
Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. announced the program called Safety Through Recovery, Engagement and Evidence Based Treatment Support earlier this week. The initiative will address substance abuse and homelessness in eight cities, though those locations have not been named yet.
At the McShin Foundation in Richmond, an addiction recovery organization that serves around 500 people yearly, leaders are optimistic about the new commitment.
"I hope with this new initiative that they'll keep their promise and continue to save lives, but also not forget about us that are still doing the work every single day, 365," said Honesty Liller, CEO of the McShin Foundation.
Liller's own story reflects the challenges many face in recovery. She walked through the doors of McShin Foundation 18 and a half years ago at 21 years old, addicted to heroin and unable to care for her 5-year-old daughter.
"I was addicted to heroin forever ago," Liller said. "I could not be a mom to her."
Liller had turned to narcotics and alcohol as a child, and by 17, her addiction nearly took her life.
"I tried different forms of treatment and it would work for a couple of weeks and then I would just keep going back," Liller said.
After getting clean at McShin, Liller was offered a job at the recovery center. Now a mother of two, she serves as the organization's CEO, with success stories of people overcoming addiction hanging on the walls around her, including her own.
"It's a lot of blood sweat and tears, literally, I've had in this building," Liller said.
Facility leaders say they're seeing an increase in people needing addiction help. While addiction recovery advocates view the pilot program as a step in the right direction, they remain cautious about the executive action without commitments of federal funding to increase access to treatment.
"I hope it's not just smoke and mirrors and, you know, 'here's $100 million,' but to whom is it going to because people are still dying every single day so we have to have that peer to recovery connection," Liller said.
Facing adversity head on, Honesty Liller is now at the top, making it her mission to do life saving work. Kennedy hopes the innovation in addiction recovery will help spread awareness and reduce stigma surrounding substance abuse treatment.
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