Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission
Contact: Elizabeth K Elmore
(540)343-4417
eelmore@rvarc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Roanoke Valley Collective Response Receives $1.4 Million for Peer Recovery Network
Grant will create full time positions to work alongside Police, Fire and EMS 

Roanoke, VA (August 8, 2022) — The Roanoke Valley Collective Response has been awarded a $1.4 Million grant to develop a Peer Recovery Network. The award comes from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration and will support the development and expansion of the network over the next four years, creating three full time positions; including one coordinator and two Certified Peer Recovery Specialists (CPRS) who are embedded with EMS and law enforcement during overdose reversal calls. The Collective Response’s proposal was identified as a project of  National and Regional Significance and will allow Peer Recovery specialists to work alongside first responders across the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany region.

“This grant is a vital investment in growing the ecosystem of recovery,” Niles Comer, Director of the Collective Response said. “Evidence supports the power of involving people with lived experience in addiction and recovery – peer recovery specialist – as the vanguards to promoting recovery and addressing addiction. This grant will work seamlessly to build out a Peer Recovery Network across community stakeholders of the Collective Response while working specifically with law enforcement and first responders to help in addressing the rise in drug overdose calls.”

The Peer Recovery Network will connect Peer Recovery Specialists, provide resources for peers, and develop a workforce network connecting peers to the employers who may be in need of their services and to motivate and assist businesses in the hiring of people with lived experience with Substance Use Disorder and involvement in the criminal justice system.

“Having a peer recovery specialist on substance abuse-related calls has been proven to remove communication barriers and move our patients into a more sustainable effort recovery program,” said Jeremy Hartman, Captain for Salem Fire EMS. “The successful connection to services has been vital to reducing the number of overdose-related calls for service.”

This initiative will provide assistance to EMS and law enforcement while simultaneously seeking to reduce repeat calls. The peer recovery specialists will serve as “care coordinators” after the hand-off from EMS and law enforcement and assist with reducing any barriers to accessing treatment.  introduce the individual into the spectrum of recovery.

The Roanoke Valley Collective Response works across systems to find new and effective strategies to solve the opioid and addiction crisis. Collective Response members span law enforcement, Emergency Medical Services, healthcare, local and state government, education, community support organizations, faith community, business community, and individuals and families personally touched by addiction.  The Collective Response was formalized as a program of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission in 2021 through American Rescue Plan Act funds from the City of Roanoke.

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A program of the Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission, the Collective Response is a multi-sector initiative working collaboratively to create recovery-oriented solutions to the addiction crisis across the Roanoke Valley.
The Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission (RVARC) is one of 21 regional planning agencies in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Member governments include the counties of Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig, Franklin and Roanoke; the cities of Covington, Roanoke, and Salem; and the towns of Clifton Forge, Rocky Mount and Vinton. The mission of the Regional Commission is to be a leader in driving collaboration and strategy within our communities on issues that are critical to the economic growth, quality of life, and the sustainability of this region.

The Roanoke Valley Transportation Planning Organization (RVTPO) is accepting comments on amendments to the Roanoke Valley Transportation Plan.

You can view the projects and take the survey here.

Comments will be accepted until August 17th, 2022, and a public hearing will be held at 1:00 pm on August 25th at 313 Luck Avenue SW, Roanoke VA.

For accommodations call (540) 343-4417 or E-mail: bhill@rvarc.org. Hearing impaired persons call 711 for access. The RVTPO strives to provide reasonable accommodations for persons who require special assistance to participate in public involvement opportunities.  The RVTPO fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in all programs and activities.

Regional Commission Announces Affordable Housing Awards
 Grant will fund up to 71 housing units in Covington and Roanoke

Roanoke, VA (July 21, 2022) — The Regional Commission announced today the recipients of $1.35 million in funding from its Virginia Housing PDC Development Grant to create new affordable housing in the region.  Landmark Asset Services, Inc, Restoration Housing, Roanoke City Redevelopment and Housing Authority and Habitat for Humanity of the Roanoke Valley will build a total of 71 affordable housing units in the region.

“Affordable housing is a critical issue for the livability of our region,” said RVARC Executive Director Jeremy Holmes, “we are pleased to partner with our community and Virginia Housing to increase housing opportunities for the region’s citizens.” 

In 2021, Virginia Housing (VH), formerly Virginia Housing Development Authority, awarded $40 million in funding statewide to Virginia’s 21 Planning District Commissions to create or continue regional housing development programs. Virginia Housing has granted the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission $2 Million dollars to create affordable housing units in our region. 

David Bustamante, Executive Director of the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority also expressed excitement. “As our region grows so does our need for affordable housing. This is an opportunity for us to expand not just our housing ecosystem but rise to meet the growing opportunities of the region itself.”  

The Virginia Housing funds represent the largest grant that RVARC has ever administered and is a significant investment in the region. The grant program follows on the heels of last year’s comprehensive regional housing study, which identified housing needs such as gaps in market supply for certain income brackets and barriers to building and rehabbing in certain areas. The commission developed recommendations such as creating effective zoning and coordinating at the regional level to develop key infrastructure. The administering of this grant brings to fruition the commission’s recommendation that partners collaborate to meet the region’s housing needs. 

For more information contact Elizabeth Elmore