The money is there. The need is urgent. The question is whether East Grand Rapids will act.

East Grand Rapids has $42,871 in opioid settlement funds sitting unspent, according to a report from FOX 17. Advocates say that money could be deployed immediately to save lives, while city officials say they are still evaluating the best path forward.

The city has received opioid settlement payments since 2021 and has approved seven settlement agreements. According to the report, East Grand Rapids receives between $7,000 and $9,000 annually, with payments continuing through 2029 to 2038. The city will receive an additional $84,000 over the next 12 years, bringing total payments to approximately $129,000 over 18 years.

A former addict turned advocate

Josh McLenithan knows the opioid crisis from both sides. He spent 15 years as an intravenous heroin user, starting with prescription pain medications in the early 2000s. After going to prison for stealing to support his habit, he found recovery through services at Red Project, a Grand Rapids-based harm reduction nonprofit.

"I came across the red project as a place that I had actually utilized services. I used to come here to get my needles all the time. I didn't really know about all of their programming," McLenithan said.

McLenithan now serves as programs operations director at Red Project, which was founded in 1998. The organization provides naloxone rescue kits, HIV and Hepatitis C testing, and runs a drug checking program.

The newspaper box strategy

Red Project is currently deploying 100 newspaper boxes around Kent County filled with free naloxone kits, funded through opioid settlement dollars. According to WZZM 13, the organization has placed more than 40 of the boxes so far and has about 60 remaining.

Kayla Schmitz with Red Project said the boxes have already shown results. The organization conducts wellness checks for people who have administered naloxone after an overdose, and she reported a notable reduction in those numbers since the boxes were deployed.

"All you have to do is contact us and let us know," Schmitz said. "You can call us, you can email me and just let us know that you'd like to have a box. And it's really as simple as that."

Advocates urge immediate action

Dr. Jonathan Stoltman of the Opioid Policy Institute recently appeared before the East Grand Rapids City Commission to raise concerns about the unspent funds. He pointed to Red Project as an organization ready to deploy the money immediately.

"If even half of that went to a group like the Red Project, that money would go to work immediately, helping save lives, as opposed to sitting there for a couple of years and people are dying," Stoltman said.

Steve Alsum, executive director of Red Project, echoed the urgency.

"People are dying right now in all of our communities," Alsum said. "A lot of what I think is needed through the opioid settlement dollars is just expanding access to those life saving tools."

What the rules allow

Opioid settlement funds come with strict spending requirements. According to guidance from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, released on May 14, 2026, all settlement funds must be spent on "opioid remediation." This includes treatment, recovery support, prevention efforts, first responder support, and research.

A minimum of 70% of funds must go toward future opioid remediation. Up to 30% may reimburse past qualifying expenditures. The AG's office also published a list of activities that likely do not qualify, including law enforcement equipment, surveillance technology, and programs not focused on opioid use disorder.

The city's position

Shea Charles, East Grand Rapids City Manager, said the city has not spent any settlement funds yet because the initial amounts were small. The city is evaluating how to achieve the greatest impact, potentially by coordinating with Kent County's broader opioid strategy.

Kent County Levy Court allocated $518,507.90 in opioid settlement funds to six local organizations on May 12, according to Bay to Bay News. That county-level approach contrasts with East Grand Rapids' city-level deliberations.

Addressing the misconceptions

McLenithan addressed a common criticism of naloxone distribution programs.

"One of the most common misconceptions is that naloxone enables people to use drugs," he said. "Dead people don't recover."

Naloxone is an emergency medication that reverses opioid overdoses. It does not treat addiction itself, but it keeps people alive long enough to access treatment.

What happens next

East Grand Rapids leaders say no final decisions have been made on how to spend the settlement funds. The city's next payments will continue to accumulate, adding to the unspent balance.

Advocates say the clock is ticking. Kent County recorded 103 opioid overdose deaths in 2017, the highest number at the time. While numbers have declined since then, health officials say the crisis is far from over.

The question for East Grand Rapids residents is whether their city will wait for a larger pool of money or deploy what it has now to organizations already on the ground.

"People are dying right now," Alsum said.

That is the message advocates hope the City Commission hears.