She’d floated the idea of turning some of the area’s subsidized housing units into “clean living facilities,” with wraparound services and support group offerings, not unlike substance-free college dorms. “We need to support this as a chronic disease the same as we support cancer and other diseases,” Cantrell said. “Not just evidence-based treatment and drug prevention programs but broadening it to meaningful education that leads to jobs with a living wage so there are options to stay in the area—or to leave.”
