Ayotte Applauds USDA Initiative to Help Fight Opioid Crisis

Press Release

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte today applauded a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announcement that New Hampshire has been selected to participate in a new initiative to provide transitional housing for individuals in recovery from substance use disorders living in rural areas.

"Substance use disorders don't discriminate by age, gender, class, or location, and we must do everything possible to help those struggling. This new USDA initiative is specifically targeted to help individuals in rural areas - like the North Country - get their lives back on track, and I'm glad to see that New Hampshire will be one of the first states to benefit from it," said Senator Ayotte. "I look forward to continuing to work with USDA and other agencies to find innovative ways to fight the opioid abuse epidemic, support those recovering from substance use disorders, and help save lives."

The USDA initiative will utilize USDA's Rural Development resources to fund transitional housing projects, make vacant USDA housing properties available to qualified non-profit organizations to transform into transitional housing, launch a pilot project to make vacant USDA multifamily rental units available to tenants participating in treatment programs, and better link existing USDA facilities with treatment service providers. Several parts of this initiative are open to facilities in New Hampshire.

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