Office of Opioid and Substance Use Response

Current Projects

2023

In 2023, the City of Richmond, in partnership with Chesterfield County, Hanover County, and Henrico County to expand the region’s Peer Recovery Specialist Program. This effort is focused on deploying Peer Recovery Specialists in emergent situations. 

In 2023, the City of Richmond also launched an additional effort, in partnership with Chesterfield County, Hanover County, and Henrico County to study the impact of opioids on pregnant, birthing, and parenting persons. This effort will provide a gap analysis and needs assessment of this population in Central Virginia.

Each project is ongoing.

2024

In 2024, the City of Richmond is launching four new projects.

1. Harm Reduction: The City will be placing three harm reduction vending machines in public spaces. These harm reduction vending machines will provide naloxone, fentanyl testing strips, and basic personal hygiene items at no cost to residents.

2. Prevention: Youth-focused opioid prevention campaign.  This campaign will draw from existing evidence-based programs tailored for the Richmond community and will rely on a multimedia communications campaign to reach the target audience of youth aged 13-24.

3. Treatment/Recovery: Integration of Peer Recovery Specialists into areas such as emergency response, detox, treatment, recovery, and other facilities to enhance the continuum of care for individuals affected by opioid use disorder.  This will be done by the release of a request for proposals (RFP) and selection of 

4. Data and Resources: Cooperative project with Henrico County and the Richmond Henrico Heath District to provide a resource mapping guide and public facing data dashboard available to the public.

The Opioid Epidemic Outlook

National Outlook: According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2023 there were 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the United States, and 81,083 of those deaths were opioid-related.

State Outlook: According to the Virginia Department of Health, there were approximately 2,513 drug overdose deaths in Virginia, and approximately 1,910 of those deaths involved fentanyl. These are preliminary numbers which will be finalized in July 2024.

City of Richmond Outlook: According to the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, preliminary reports in 2023 show approximately 297 overdose deaths in the City of Richmond, and 270 of those deaths from opioids.

OAA Operation STOP! Recovery Housing RFA

The City of Richmond's Office of Opioid and Substance Use Response announces the availability of funds through the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority’s Operation STOP! (Specifically Targeted Overdose Prevention) initiative.
 

Operation STOP! is a grant program that directs funding to Virginia cities and counties with the highest increases in fatal overdoses disproportionately affecting Black residents. The City of Richmond was awarded $150,000.00 by the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority that will be subgranted to charitable organizations through this solicitation in support of eligible activities during Fiscal Years 2026-2028.
 

This subgrant award is available for eligible organizations to implement or expand recovery housing access to City of Richmond residents through the provision of, “bed fee scholarships.” Proposals should describe how activities will engage communities disproportionately affected by opioid-related harms and demonstrate cultural competence in serving those populations.
 

The selected organization(s) shall work directly with individuals in this priority population who seek recovery housing.
 

Eligible applicants must be charitable organizations registered with the Virginia State Corporation Commission who may be:

• Certified recovery residences proposing to provide bed nights at no cost to members of this target population
• Registered non-profit organizations including (but not limited to) Federally Qualified Health Centers (FHQC) and outreach organizations working within this population proposing to manage a fund that would be used to pay for “bed fees” at certified recovery residences

Collaborative proposals involving more than one recovery residence or other registered non-profit are welcomed and encouraged.

The City expects funded programs to demonstrate meaningful impact through increased accessibility and availability of recovery housing to communities disproportionately affected by opioid-related harms including increased rates of overdose fatalities. Eligible organizations must comply with Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority Grant Award Terms and Conditions for Individual Distributions to Cities and Counties.

Application materials can be made available in Spanish and other languages upon request. To request translated materials or interpretation for this RFA, please contact [email protected]. Our office will coordinate language access support.

Los materiales de la solicitud pueden ponerse a disposición en español y en otros idiomas a solicitud. Para solicitar materiales traducidos o interpretación para este RFA, comuníquese con [email protected]. Nuestra oficina coordinará el apoyo de acceso lingüístico.

Submission and Award Notice:

• Questions about this RFA may be directed to [email protected]
• Applications, including all required attachments, must be submitted by email to [email protected] no later than Friday, October 31st, 2025, by 5:00 PM. Late applications will not be accepted.
• The City expects to notify successful applicants by email no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, November 21st, 2025.

Funding Amount:

• A total of $150,000 is available through this RFA.
• Applicants may submit proposals requesting up to $150,000.00.
• The City anticipates funding no more than three proposals that collectively will not exceed the total available funding amount.

Operation STOP! RFA Recovery Housing Application Information (PDF)

Operation STOP! RFA Budget Template (Excel)

OAA Operation STOP! Education and Training RFA

The City of Richmond's Office of Opioid and Substance Use Response announces the availability of funds through the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority’s Operation STOP! (Specifically Targeted Overdose Prevention) initiative.

Operation STOP! is a grant program that directs funding to Virginia cities and counties with the highest increases in fatal overdoses disproportionately affecting Black residents. The City of Richmond was awarded $50,000.00 by the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority that will be subgranted to charitable organizations through this solicitation in support of eligible activities during Fiscal Years 2026-2028.

This subgrant award is available for eligible organizations to develop and implement training or education programs for Richmond law enforcement personnel, key public officials, and policy makers. Proposed education or training programs should increase recipients’ knowledge regarding available resources and best practices to support the populations disproportionately affected by overdose fatalities. Educational programming may also include (but is not limited to):

• The impact and opportunity of local and state policy to reduce racial disparity in overdose fatalities;
• Increased risk of overdose after incarceration;
• Evidence-backed strategies for working with individuals experiencing Opioid Use Disorder (OUD);
• Systems, structures, and models for facilitating stronger resource connections; and
• Root causes and other factors that drive disparities in overdose fatalities across different communities and demographic groups.
   

The City expects funded programs to demonstrate meaningful impact through the provision of training or education to at least 100 law enforcement personnel and at least 100 key officials or policy makers by the conclusion of the grant period.

Eligible organizations must comply with Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority Grant Award Terms and Conditions for Individual Distributions to Cities and Counties.
 

Application materials can be made available in Spanish and other languages upon request. To request translated materials or interpretation for this RFA, please contact [email protected]. Our office will coordinate language access support.
 

Los materiales de la solicitud pueden ponerse a disposición en español y en otros idiomas a solicitud. Para solicitar materiales traducidos o interpretación para este RFA, comuníquese con [email protected]. Nuestra oficina coordinará el apoyo de acceso lingüístico.
 

Submission and Award Notice:

• Questions about this RFA may be directed to [email protected]
• Applications, including all required attachments, must be submitted by email to [email protected] no later than Friday October 31st, 2025 by 5:00 PM. Late applications will not be accepted.
• The City expects to notify successful applicants by email no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, November 21st, 2025.

Funding Amount:

• A total of $50,000 is available through this RFA.
• Applicants may submit proposals requesting up to $50,000.
• The City anticipates funding no more than two proposals that collectively will not exceed the total available funding amount.

Eligibility Threshold:

• Applicants must be charitable organizations registered with the Virginia State Corporation Commission authorized to conduct business in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
• Applicants must be in good standing with the City of Richmond and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Operation STOP! RFA Training and Education Application Information (PDF)

Operation STOP! RFA Budget Template (Excel)