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Press Releases: City Spent Almost $18M of Opioid Settlement Funds Through Initial Payouts from State Trust 

City Controller’s latest Municipal Money Matters reviews programs funded by settlement with drug manufacturers, millions still need to be spent by the end of the year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 23, 2024 

PHILADELPHIA – City Controller Christy Brady today released the latest Municipal Money Matters report, finding that the city spent almost $18 million of the $20.5 million received through initial payments from the Opioid Settlement Funds.  

The funding is available through the public legal settlements against certain manufacturers and distributors of opioid drugs. Funds from the settlements are to be used exclusively to combat the opioid crisis and must be approved by the Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse & Addiction Abatement Trust (Trust).  

From the first two payments received in 2022, the city has $2.8 million remaining that must be spent before December 30, 2024. The city was previously granted a six-month extension from the original deadline.  

Half of the remaining funds are dedicated to programs that have already received money, including the Housing First Initiative and the Kensington Resident Support program. However, the city has yet to spend any of its allocated funds for two programs. This includes $1.2 million for the Mobile Methadone Van and $373,725 for the Citywide Overdose Prevention Canvassing programs. 

According to the Trust, failure to spend funds in accordance with the relevant spending deadlines could result in the withholding of future distributions. Additionally, any funds spent on or committed to a program that was submitted for approval but deemed non-complaint must be repurposed for existing or new programs that are complaint with the approved Opioid Remediation Uses. 

Expenditures reported through the first two payments from the Trust include the following programs: 

Program Funds Spent 
Kensington Resident Support $6,300,000 
Housing First Initiatives $4,482,851 
Overdose Prevention and Community Healing $3,500,000 
Prison Medications for Opioid Use Disorder $1,400,000 
Mobile Wound Care $1,360,000 
Alternative Response Two – Sustainment $375,000 
Police Assisted Diversion Expansion $325,000 

The City of Philadelphia received an additional payment of $13.2 million in December 2023 that must be spent by June 15, 2025. The deadline to report the amount spent and allocated from the most recent payment has not occurred yet. 

The nationwide settlements that were reached in 2021 are expected to deliver over $1 billion to Pennsylvania over 18 years, of which $200 million is slated for the City of Philadelphia. 

Visit https://controller.phila.gov/ to view the City Controller’s latest report. 

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