A multimillion-dollar grant program recently launched in Pennsylvania aims to assist drug addicts but punishes possible applicants if they don’t make an effort to “engage” with the LGBT community.
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D-PA) administration announced a $2.5 million grant program on Dec. 13 to fund recovery housing for those struggling with substance abuse. Applicants for funding, according to grant documents, will be evaluated based on how well their organization has served the “LGBTQ+” community and other “diverse” populations in the past, setting the stage for religious charities to be possibly denied grant funding for being insufficiently supportive of homosexuality and transsexuality.
Since grant funding is limited, possible grantees go through a competitive process to determine who wins funding. To determine which organization receives funding, Pennsylvania’s Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs devised a scoring rubric for applicants.
Twenty percent of a prospective grantee’s score is determined by criteria dubbed “Diverse Populations Engagement/Health Equity.”
“Applicant must describe their current engagement with diverse populations including LGBTQ+, persons with disabilities, older adults, transition aged youth and young adults (ages 16-25), underserved and under-represented populations, and those residing in rural and urban settings,” the section of the grant application reads. “Applicant must describe how the project will engage and provide access to these diverse populations. Applicant must describe their plan to increase services to diverse populations and outline the training plan to ensure staff are trained to serve diverse populations.”
Pennsylvania will award approximately five grants in connection with the recovery house program.
“The money for this program came from the ‘Big Four’ settlement from manufacturers and distributors of opioids, including fentanyl, which does not discriminate,” Dr. Kevin Jon Williams, a senior fellow at the medical nonprofit Do No Harm, told the Washington Examiner . “The program is administered by Pennsylvania, which is not allowed to discriminate. And the stated purpose is ‘opioid remediation programs and initiatives,’ which are broadly needed across all demographic groups in Pennsylvania. There is no excuse for directing this money away from individuals with substance use disorder who happen to be Asian-Americans, heterosexuals, middle-aged, suburbanites, or members of any other demographic groups that are disfavored by the political Left.”
Officials in Pennsylvania have landed in hot water before for discriminating against religious charities.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
In 2018, Philadelphia terminated a contract with Catholic Social Services because the nonprofit group refused to consider same-sex couples when screening possible foster parents. The charity sued on First Amendment grounds, arguing that its religious freedom was being violated. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Catholic Social Services in June 2021. Philadelphia had to renew its contract with Catholic Social Services and pay the charity a $2 million settlement.
