The Lexington Fire Department is receiving more than $500,000 from the federal government to assist survivors of substance abuse.
The federal dollars come from the U.S. Dept. of Justice and are meant to help provide casework management, treatment providers, housing assistance, and other mental health resources for overdose survivors.
Mayor Linda Gorton said the COVID-19 pandemic has increased isolation and driven up overdose rates, erasing much of the progress made in controlling the opioid epidemic in recent years.
The money is part of a number of federal grants aimed at combating rising drug abuse -- from $433,000 for Shepherd's House recovery programs to $87 million in funds for the University of Kentucky's HEALing Communities research, which has a goal of reducing opioid overdose deaths by 40 percent.
