Drug Free Communities Support Program

HealthySV is a Drug Free Communities Coalition!

In 2010, the HealthySV Coalition was awarded the Drug Free Communities (DFC) Support Program grant. The DFC Grant is a 5-year federal grant through the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The primary purpose of the DFC program is to: strengthen collaboration among community entities; and reduce substance use among youth. As a DFC grantee, HealthySV Coalition is required to work toward these two goals as the primary focus of it's Federally-funded effort. Grants awarded through the DFC program are intended to support established community-based coalitions capable of effecting community-level change. For the purposes of the DFC program, a coalition is defined as a community-based formal arrangement for cooperation and collaboration among groups or sectors of a community in which each group retains its identity, but all agree to work together toward a common goal of building a safe, healthy, and drug-free community. Coalitions receiving DFC funds are expected to work with leaders within their communities to identify and address local youth substance use problems and create sustainable community-level change through environmental strategies.