WISCONSIN — The Wisconsin Department of Health Services set out to support women with opioid use disorder though a new $10 million project.

Wisconsin DHS gave $10 million to three organizations to build spaces to provide treatment and recovery support for Wisconsin women, the department announced Thursday.

Wisconsin DHS gave $4.91 million to Arbor Place, $4.91 million to Meta House and $180,000 to Lighthouse Recovery Community Center.

Arbor Place will use the money to “establish the first residential treatment facility in western Wisconsin open to supporting pregnant women and mothers.” Once a new building in Menomonie is constructed, the facility will be able to serve up to 20 women at a time. That building is scheduled to be built by 2025.

Meta House will use the funding to expand an existing residential treatment program located in southeastern Wisconsin. The additional space will help offset Meta House’s current waitlist for admission. The program is open to all women. With the expansion, Meta House will be able to serve an additional 60 women; construction in Glendale is set to be complete by 2024.

Lighthouse Recovery Center will use the money to “create the first space in northeast Wisconsin focused on supporting pregnant women and mothers in need of safe and stable housing for their families while they participate in outpatient treatment.” The space will be able to house up to seven women at once. Renovations on an existing Manitowoc building should be finished by 2024.

Wisconsin DHS said all three projects will serve any state resident who qualifies for the services provided.

“Women with opioid use disorder have unique care needs and require a broad range of services to meet these needs,” said DHS Secretary-designee Kirsten Johnson. “The facilities built through this grant program will remove barriers to long-term recovery by providing space to [support] women with opioid use disorder to succeed in their journey to wellness.”

The one-time grants will only cover construction costs. Funding is provided through the state’s portion of the National Prescription Opiate Litigation settlement. Wisconsin DHS manages Wisconsin’s money from that settlement. Wisconsin alone is expected to receive $130 million over the course of 18 years.

Wisconsin DHS said it received almost $31 million through its first set of payments, distributed over the back half of 2022.

“The National Prescription Opiate Litigation settlement funds were awarded in 2022 as part of agreements the Wisconsin Department of Justice entered into with pharmaceutical companies and distributors, settling the state’s legal claims that their actions fueled an epidemic of opioid use disorder, overdoses and deaths,” Wisconsin DHS explained.

The organizations benefiting from these grants cover staffing, program supplies and other needed materials related to services provided.