SHARE Foundation's Violence Intervention Plan (VIP) has several coalitions that serve the community. The VIP's Mental Health, Substance, and Drug Abuse (MHSDA) Coalition was recently awarded the DHHS-CDC Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program Grant for 2021 - 2026. The grant award is $125,000 annually with cost-share matching requirements that gradually increase each year. After five years, SHARE Foundation and the MHSDA Coalition can reapply for the grant for an additional five years (10 maximum).
The MHSDA Coalition and eXtreme Youth Programs will be working together with 12 Community Sectors for the principal mission to reduce and prevent youth substance abuse in Union County. More specifically and through DFC Support Program funding, the MHSDA Coalition plans to establish and support collaboration among communities, public and private non-profit agencies, and government agencies to increase community services and their impact on preventing and reducing substance abuse among youth. It will also reduce substance abuse among youth and, over time, reduce substance abuse among adults by addressing the factors in Union County that increase the risk of substance abuse and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse. The coalition's objectives are to provide three community-wide prevention education/assessment activities, increase membership satisfaction with collaborative partners, and reduce youth alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine use in Union County. Additional objectives are to increase the perception of harm for substance use and decrease the lifetime use for youth who have reported substance use.
For more information, visit the DFC website at https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/drug-free-communities/index.html.
