Latest Allocation Builds on New Jersey’s Commitment to Combat Opioid Crisis Through Life-Saving, Community-Based Initiatives

TRENTON – Demonstrating New Jersey’s continued commitment to stemming the opioid epidemic and supporting communities across the state, Governor Phil Murphy today announced an investment of $130.7 million in opioid settlement funds to dramatically expand harm reduction services and launch a new wave of community-based support initiatives for families impacted by substance use.

The new allocation builds on New Jersey’s comprehensive strategy to save lives and promote recovery for those affected by addiction. Funding will support:

• $118.7 million over five and a half years for the continuation and expansion of Harm Reduction Centers, and
• $12 million over three years in direct grants to family and community support organizations.

“With today’s investment, we are infusing critical, life-saving resources into our communities most affected by the opioid crisis. This funding strengthens our ability to meet New Jerseyans where they are, at every stage of their recovery journey,” said Governor Murphy. “Over the course of my Administration, we have pursued a whole-of-government approach to reducing the devastating impacts of the opioid crisis, with a focus on empowering community-based resources to save lives, support sustained recovery, and uplift those struggling with substance addictions.”

“Often, the loved ones of individuals struggling with addiction are left to cope in silence, navigating uncertainty and stigma with little support,” said Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman, who chairs the New Jersey Opioid Recovery and Remediation Advisory Council. “This funding sustains investments in evidence-based harm reduction and recognizes the vital role families play not only in healing but in prevention and recovery. We are making a deliberate investment in the organizations that provide a lifeline: support groups, counseling, peer networks, and grief services. These community-rooted efforts are the backbone of long-term recovery and the heart of our response to this epidemic.”

“Science is guiding our response to the overdose crisis, and harm reduction centers are a proven, life-saving linchpin in that strategy. By offering non-stigmatizing spaces that uphold the dignity of every person who walks through their doors, harm reduction centers meet people where they are, providing not only harm reduction supplies, but access to health care, treatment, and services,” said Acting Health Commissioner Jeff Brown. “I’m proud of New Jersey’s dramatic expansion of harm reduction centers. Now, people in every county can access evidence-based interventions that prevent overdoses and reduce infections.”

The Advisory Council is tasked with making recommendations for the effective use of the State’s share of nationwide settlement agreements with several opioid manufacturers and distributors for their contributions to the ongoing opioid epidemic. The Advisory Council in June issued its five-year Strategic Plan after a 15-month planning and stakeholder engagement process. It includes four key investment areas: housing, harm reduction, treatment, and coordinated wraparound services.

Through today’s announcement, $118.7 million will be provided to Harm Reduction Centers over the next five and a half years to significantly scale up the State's harm reduction infrastructure, including brick-and-mortar sites, mobile outreach to high-risk populations, and integration of harm reduction services into existing health care settings. This represents a historic investment that will bring the State’s total settlement funding allocated for harm reduction expansion activities to $144.7 million.

Harm Reduction Centers are community-based programs that offer a safe, trauma-informed, non-stigmatizing space for people who use drugs to access naloxone, sterile syringes, and other safer use supplies. They also facilitate safe disposal of used syringes and provide access or referral to wraparound services, such as medications for opioid use disorder, health care, and help addressing basic needs. The New Jersey Department of Health recently issued the New Jersey Harm Reduction Centers Biennial Report, 2022-2024, documenting the growth and impact of Harm Reduction Centers.

Since reforms were enacted in mid-2023 to streamline the process for becoming an authorized center, the number of designated sites has increased from seven to 55. Currently, 45 sites are actively operating, including fixed, mobile, and mail-based services, with another 10 sites authorized to open. This funding will help bring those sites online and expand the range of life-saving services offered.

In addition, $12 million will be provided over three years to community-based nonprofits and businesses that work with families and loved ones affected by substance use disorder, including those grieving a loss or navigating recovery. This initiative will fund a range of community-driven activities such as bereavement groups, prevention programs, and harm reduction support services, with capacity-building grants ranging from $100,000 to $150,000. This is a first-of-its-kind investment by the State in hyper-local, small opioid response-related organizations.

New Jersey, along with eligible counties and municipalities, will receive more than $1 billion in settlement funds over the next two decades. The newly allocated funding builds on more than $130 million in opioid settlement spending announced last year and earlier this month.