PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Thomas Herold spent more than a decade in prison for selling cocaine.
Now, he says he wants to help others from making the same mistakes he did.
“I’m in this very same community that I was distributing drugs in, seeing a lot of the same individuals that I was distributing drugs to, apologizing to them for what I’ve done to them,” said Herold.
Thomas teamed up with Jennifer Kerouac, a Shady Hills Mission Chapel pastor.
Together, they’ve started a non-profit called Inside Out.
“Our program is trying to stand in the gap with regards to transition living when folks are coming from facilities where they’ve been rehabilitated; the biggest gap is not having a place to stay,” said Kerouac.
Jennifer and Thomas are just two of those who came to make a pitch to Pasco County’s Opioid Task Force.
That’s the group figuring out how to disperse about $8 million in settlement money from the drug companies.
But they had $24 million in requests.
“It’s daunting. It’s a huge responsibility not just on my shoulders but the shoulders of everybody that sits on that committee. And I think you witnessed it today; no one was smiling at the end of the process because we know the need and the challenges are great and varied in our community. It impacts everybody,” said task force chairperson Paula Baracado.
BayCare Behavioral is getting the most significant portion, totaling about $4 million.
Others requesting funding include shelters, treatment centers, and mental health facilities.
But Inside Out is one of the programs that did not get any funding.
“What I’m seeing. It is horrific, and it’s getting worse by the day with the increase to the access to fentanyl,” said Kerouac.
Last year, Pasco County alone had over 1,500 overdoses, nearly 300 fatal.
The Pasco County Commission must approve the task force’s recommendations before the organizations get the money.
