A Posey County township official has launched a pilot program which requires applicants for emergency assistance to first pass a drug test. Black Township Trustee Linda Suits’ heart may be in the right place: she is trying to protect township taxpayers from subsidizing the drug habits of applicants who would use their assistance to buy drugs, while encouraging those caught to seek help. But issues related to the program suggest that it is unlikely to spread to other Indiana townships, or, for that matter, statewide.
All Indiana townships provide assistance to residents who have emergency needs, such as food, medication, rent and utility bills. Suits launched the program this year, and after three weeks had run more than 35 tests, with about 30 percent testing positive for either amphetamines, opiates, THC, cocaine, PCP or K2 spice, according to a news report by Courier & Press staff writer Jessie Higgins.
Under the rules, anyone who tests positive can reapply if they choose to participate in a substance abuse treatment program at the Stepping Stone rehabilitation center. Suits said she would even consider paying for the rehab program, but thus far, no one had asked for help.
That’s too bad because surely some of these people testing positive have children. If their parents are turning away from assistance and from rehabilitation, what is happening to the children, say if they need food or shelter?
And that is one of the drawbacks of the Black Township program.
“If they had kids, does it break our heart? Absolutely, it would break our hearts,” Suits said.
The other issue is money. The report said Suits is budgeted for $12,000 for drug testing this year, plus an additional $10,000 to pay for the hours the staff spends administering the tests. That is thousands that could be spent in direct assistance.
In heavily populated Knight Township in Vanderburgh County, Trustee Kathryn Martin said her township could not afford drug tests. “It would take away from the services that are needed. I’ve got to worry about burying people, keeping lights on and keeping people in homes. And if I’m spending money on drug testing them, that money has to come from somewhere.”
Actually, Black is the only trustee in Indiana to take this get-tough approach, but six states now require tests before granting assistance.
We doubt this program will spread to many other townships in Indiana, and yet, we must admit, we will be curious to see the results, say a year from now.