Illinois Receives $13.1 Million to Expand Drug Treatment and Recovery Options

(Chicago) - The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse (DASA) today announced a $13.1 million Access to Recovery (ATR) grant that will allow DHS to expand options for over 7,600 people seeking drug and alcohol treatment.  The grant is part of a federal initiative to provide vouchers for substance abuse treatment and recovery services. 

Implemented in 2004, ATR was a multi-year competitive discretionary grant program funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.  The new grant will allow the program to expand for another 4 years and will provide Illinoisans seeking drug and alcohol treatment with vouchers to pay for a range of individualized treatment and recovery services, including faith-based and community-based services.

"As more people face rough times in this economy, funding for treatment and recovery services are needed more than ever," said IDHS Acting Secretary Grace Hong Duffin. "There is more than one way to treat addiction and this grant will allow people to choose what is best for them.  With the expansion of this program, we can continue to promote client choice while increasing access to a greater array of treatment options and recovery services."

With the ATR program, people in need of treatment or recovery support services will be allowed to select and receive services from a list of alternative local providers enrolled in the ATR program.  There were more than 110 providers in the first two ATR grants who provided treatment and recovery support services.

"By increasing the number of providers that can offer treatment and recovery support services through vouchers, we are expanding recovery options for thousands of people while improving our service delivery system throughout the state," said Theodora Binion-Taylor, Director of the IDHS Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. 

As part of the proposed program, IDHS-DASA will partner with the Illinois National Guard to link returning members to the full range of substance abuse treatment and recovery support services offered through the ATR-III program.  The program will also include a focus on individuals involved with the criminal justice system, a methamphetamine treatment component, and Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment (SBIRT) among its voucher services.

Since the implementation of the first ATR grant awarded in 2004, approximately 15,000 people received treatment and/or recovery support services in Cook County and 11 counties in east-central Illinois.  For the new ATR grant, over 7,600 people are expected to receive substance abuse treatment and/or recovery support services.

Community and faith-based treatment and recovery support providers who may be interested in the ATR application, must email their request for an application to erin.vanness@gmail.com.  IDHS will not accept application requests in any other manner.