Using housing as way to combat opioid addiction in Connecticut NBC Connecticut [Video]

State officials announced it will use $58.5 million from various opioid-related legal settlements to pay for supportive housing.  

The money will offer vouchers to people who are both homeless and struggling with opioid usage.  

Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Commissioner Nancy Navarretta called the money, approved by an advisory committee overseeing the funds, “an investment in hope, stability and transformation.” 

The funding makes 500 vouchers available annually for a period of four years, but Navarretta said during a press conference in Hartford that as many as 650 people total could benefit.  

Service providers say housing is a critical first step to getting people with substance abuse issues into counseling and other forms of help.  

“You can’t address regular health issues, mental health issues, substance use until you have a stable place to stay,” Community Housing Advocates CEO Kara Capone said.  

The nonprofit oversees runs two community organizations, including …