SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - The city of Springfield plans to allocate nearly $7 million from the state's Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund. The city of Springfield is determined to tackle the opioid crisis head-on which has affected countless individuals and families in the city. "There's a lot of individuals that are having fatal overdoses which we know is an issue and unfortunately continues to increase," said Nellie Maldonado, Administrative Assistant to Harm Reduction for Tapestry Health. The city of Springfield's North End, South End, Metro Center, Mason Square, and Indian Orchard neighborhoods are seeing the most overdoses, according to Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris. "We know that individuals of African American and Latin descent are individuals who show up most in the data," said Caulton-Harris. The city expects to spread out $7 million over the next 15 years for substance use prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery. There's a Request for Proposals process to award these funds to local non-profit organizations, that'll help curb the opioid crisis throughout the city and surrounding neighborhoods. The city's health department has already gone through an intensive process with interviews, focus groups, and surveys through several non-profits to gather information about community expectations for programs. One expectation is to increase communication between the agencies and the city's Department of Health. "So that we know when a potential bed opens that we are doing harm reduction strategies and outreach and making sure we're working with families," said Caulton-Harris. Through this initiative, the department hopes there'll also be an increase in the availability of treatment and recovery programs and create different prevention plans to stop drug misuse. They are also looking to promote collaboration between different entities with the communities like Emergency Medical Systems or Fire Departments to ensure those that are seeking help receive comprehensive support. The department also mentions helping individuals who are or were in the criminal justice system by connecting them to various support services between public safety agencies and other organizations working on this issue. Lastly, providing support to women who are pregnant or have children while also dealing with drug addiction problems. It includes providing services like child care, home visits to offer support during recovery, and offering specialized treatment programs for pregnant women and families. The deadline for the city's grant application is December 30th. Qualifying applicants will be notified on February 1st. Local News Headlines City of Springfield plans to allocate nearly $7M to remediate the opioid crisis Former Voice contestant Madison Curbello performs at Majestic Theater in West Springfield Lenox man sentenced for sending obscene material to a minor Annual ‘Toys for Tots’ drive kicks off at 22News! WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.