FY '04 Continuation Drug Free Communities Support Program

Somerset County is the fiscal agent for the Somerset County Board of Family Services Coalition. The coalition serves the rural communities of Somerset, Meyersdale, and Windber, Pennsylvania with a population of approximately 27,000. The goals of the coalition are to: 1) reduce substance abuse among youth and, over time, among adults; and 2) establish and strengthen collaboration among communities, substance abuse prevention coalitions, and federal, state, and local government agencies. To achieve these goals, the coalition will implement the following strategies:
1) increase interagency collaboration through monthly coalition meetings and develop new interagency agreements to foster coalition building and support;
2) provide education, awareness, and training to youth and parents;
3) increase perception of the harmful effects of substance abuse through targeted awareness efforts;
4) sponsor alternative activities for youth in community Boys & Girls Clubs and the Up 2 Us Program; and
5) develop an on-going recruitment program to include all required sectors and ultimately strengthen the community coalition.
CA/NCF