Albuquerque City Council Passes Resolution to Distribute Opioid Settlement Funds

ALBUQUERQUE - Tonight, the Albuquerque City Council passed a critical resolution that marks the first step in distributing funds from the City's opioid settlement. Sponsored by City Councilors Tammy Fiebelkorn, Renée Grout, Dan Champine, and Nichole Rogers, the resolution ensures that these resources begin reaching community nonprofits, Albuquerque Public Schools (APS), and City-run programs focused on opioid prevention and treatment.

“I’m very proud of the past 1.5 years work that Council has put into this opioid settlement fund planning process,” said District 7 Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn. “Tonight, we took an important first step in getting these funds out to the community to support both our youth, people impacted by the opioid crisis, and ensure that the results of this funding provide sustainable assistance after these limited funds are expended.”

The opioid settlement will provide Albuquerque with approximately $80 million over 18 years, a significant amount that reflects the deep harm caused by the opioid epidemic—but is only a starting point in the healing process.

“We all have seen the evidence that our community is in need of the services that this funding is intended to address,” said District 6 Councilor Nichole L. Rogers. “My commitment to listen, engage, and act on this is based on the faces I have seen in my District. I applaud my fellow Councilors in coming together and making the tough decisions our community needs to stem the tide of opioid addiction.”

Immediate Allocations Under the Resolution:

• $2 million to expand the capacity and sustainability of existing small- and medium-sized service providers. Administered by the City’s Department of Health, Housing & Homelessness (HHH), these funds will help ensure long-term service delivery.
• $10 million in capital grants for community nonprofits. These one-time grants will support essential facility improvements and equipment purchases to enhance service delivery.
• $1.8 million to Albuquerque Public Schools to expand the Crossroads program. These funds will allow APS to increase the number of Crossroads Counselors and increase the program’s reach to additional elementary and middle schools, focusing on youth opioid prevention and intervention.

“The opioid settlement funds represent a golden opportunity for our City to help those suffering from opioid addiction,” said District 8 Councilor Dan Champine. “Our job is to get these funds allocated for the best uses possible to help those struggling to break free from addiction.”

"The Administration is still building out the Gateway system, and we haven't seen their operating plan, if they have one,” District 9 Councilor Renée Grout added. “But over the last five months that the Local Government Coordinating Commission has been working on the Opioid Settlement Strategic Implementation Plan, we've heard from community providers that have successful programs that are showing good results. We have an opportunity to help them expand their capacity to help people now."

Future Funding and Strategic Focus:

The remaining settlement funds—currently around $7 million with an estimated annual increase of $2.3 million through 2038—will support projects aligned with eight strategic categories identified in a planning process led by Vital Strategies in coordination with extensive community engagement:

1. Connecting Disconnected Youth
2. Comprehensive Education
3. Peer Support Expansion
4. Recovery Housing
5. Community-Based Treatment Access and Quality
6. Leveraging the Sobering Center
7. Naloxone Access Expansion
8. Expand Mobile Crisis Response Services

This resolution ensures that these one-time funds are used for maximum impact—helping build sustainable, community-rooted solutions to prevent and treat opioid addiction.