Dec. 4—Cleveland County has designated $250,000 from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to Firstep, a sobriety support and sober living program.
The initiative is part of the Oklahoma City Metro Alliance, and it is the first time that the organization has used ARPA funds with Cleveland County, said Jennifer Francis, the executive director of OKCMA.
Firstep works as a therapeutic sober living community and acts as an alternative or diversion from being placed in jail for people all over the state, she said. It’s a safe place to sleep off any drug or alcohol use.
She added that a large majority of the people they serve come directly from jail.
According to a county press release, “upon receiving $55 million in ARPA funds, Cleveland County conducted a series of stakeholder engagement meetings and distributed a county-wide survey to discern needs and evaluate the pandemic’s impact on our communities.”
The funds will be used for the men and women’s Firstep programs and facilities, especially the kitchen and dining facility at the mens, Francis said.
Francis said she’s “thrilled” about using these funds to expand the services they provide. In 2023, the organization served 573 people, including 16 women and 25 men from Cleveland County.
She said that Firstep also helps direct people to substance abuse and mental health resources.
District 2 County Commissioner Jacob McHughes said he’s supportive of the initiative because he believes in “second chances.”
“I think that program provides a space for a person but also gets them back to work long term, which is awesome, you’re not just throwing shame on them. They’re actually helping them out…when they use the first step,” he said.
He added that “it’s gonna help the economy like if we’ve got X amount of people that we’re expending tax funds to help. But if we can break that cycle and get them off of that, and then get them where they’re productive members of society, then it definitely is going to help the economy and those people individually.”
Francis said that the work to receive the funds was “a process” to make sure they had all the correct information and application requirements.
“It is a process but you also have to have that process to make sure everything’s 100% right. It’s federal funds … we want to make sure everything’s vetted and correct,” McHughes said.
In a statement from District 1 County Commissioner Rod Cleveland, he said: “Firstep gives individuals tools they can use to regain their sobriety.”
“Unfortunately, addiction can initiate a damaging cycle involving job loss, incarceration, and the breakdown of home and family. Our aim is to work proactively by supporting the professionals in our community in the commendable work they are already undertaking. When the ARPA funds were allocated to Cleveland County, I wanted to get these federal funds to entities, and/or projects that would get food on the family table,” he said.