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$3.4 Million-plus Award Commitments Will Support Program Aiding those with Substance Use Disorder

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced that it has awarded to the State of Oklahoma nearly $3.9 million in federal commitments to support Family and Children Services’ “Women in Recovery” (WIR) program, which provides alternatives to incarceration for women with substance use disorders. The awards are part of Treasury’s Social Impact Partnership to Pay for Results Act (SIPPRA) program and include a project grant of $3,367,085.00 with an additional $505,063.00 grant to pay for the cost of an independent evaluation of the program.

“Over the past few decades, our society has rightly come to see substance use disorder for what it is – a disease from which millions of Americans across all walks of life suffer,” Secretary of the Treasury, Janet L. Yellen said. “If we can help people recover and get back on their feet without incarceration, that is something we should do. Our Administration is committed to ending this epidemic of substance use disorder in every way possible, including through innovative programs like this one.”

“On behalf of the State of Oklahoma, I want to thank Family & Children’s Services and the Women in Recovery (WIR) program for the excellent work they are doing to support women and families in Tulsa,” says Oklahoma Governor, Kevin Stitt. It is crucial for our state to have organizations like WIR ready to help and support women and are working to overcome addiction, recover from trauma they have experienced in life, and build brighter and better futures for themselves and their children. I am pleased to see their hard work recognized and look forward to seeing the funds from SIPPRA’s contribution go toward advancing Women in Recovery’s efforts to meet the needs of more Oklahoma women. This will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on our state for many years to come.”

“We are so proud of the impact the Women in Recovery program has made on the lives of women who have participated in the program,” said CEO of Family & Children’s Services Gail Lapidus. “Our 34th class of graduates just completed the program, joining the ranks of 586 other women who have recovered from substance abuse, trauma and found jobs, impacting the lives of 2,057 children. It is a great honor for the Women in Recovery program to be chosen as a recipient of the SIPPRA award and we are thrilled to utilize the funds to strengthen and expand our program as we continue to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.”

“The meaningful work of the Women in Recovery (WIR) program is a shining example of what we hoped the Pay for Success Act would accomplish in the state of Oklahoma,” said Senator Roger Thompson, principal bill author for House Bill 2670 which established the Pay for Success Act. “It is exciting to see the U.S. Treasury Department provide additional resources to support substance abuse treatment for women who otherwise would be incarcerated. The work of innovative programs like Women in Recovery is keeping families together and shaping the future of participants and their families.”

“As an Oklahoma representative, it is of utmost importance to me to champion criminal justice reform in our state, especially for women,” said Representative Carol Bush, R-Tulsa. “We all know that Oklahoma has one of the nation’s highest female incarceration rates and I am grateful to see the incredible ways Women in Recovery is helping to keep women and mothers out of prison for low-level drug and property crimes. I congratulate Family & Children’s Services and the Women in Recovery program for receiving this wonderful recognition.”

The State of Oklahoma is excited to partner with Family & Children’s Services, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, WestEd, and Third Sector Capital Partners to reduce recidivism, increase employment, and support family reunification for women in Oklahoma. Oklahoma’s WIR provides an outpatient program as an alternative for women with substance use disorders facing incarceration in the state. The project objectives are to improve access to stable employment and wages, and reduce foster care involvement and contact with child protection services by having program participants avoid incarceration.  Consequently, WIR helps women conquer drug addiction, recover from trauma and acquire essential economic, emotional and social tools to build successful and productive lives, thus improving public safety while generating federal, state, and local financial value. With a focus on improving the lives of at-risk women and their children, WIR also seeks to break the cycle of intergenerational incarceration by strengthening and reuniting WIR mothers and their children. Services are provided through an 18-month, intensive outpatient three-phase program model using best practices as well as evidence-based curricula and treatment models.

The SIPPRA program makes funding available to state and local governments for pay-for-results social impact partnership projects. SIPPRA projects may seek to improve a variety of social problems, including increasing employment, wages, and financial stability for low-income families; improving family health and housing; and reducing recidivism.

SIPPRA funding is awarded through a competitive process. The Treasury Department selected Oklahoma’s project based on the strength of its application, input from the Commission on Social Impact Partnerships, and in consultation with the Federal Interagency Council on Social Impact Partnerships, and the U.S. Department of Justice.

For more information about the SIPPRA program please see https://home.treasury.gov/services/social-impact-partnerships/sippra-pay-for-results.

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