“As every community in America continues to grapple with the staggering opioid epidemic, we need to work as one with every tool we can get our hands on,” said Rep. Pascrell. “These coalitions are leading the fight to keep harmful drugs out of the hands of our children, so I am pleased we were able to secure this funding for their continued efforts. Our neighborhoods are safer thanks to their work and I will never stop fighting for critical awards like this that keeps these organizations funded and operational.”

“The Town of Secaucus is pleased that we are receiving another five years of Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Grant funding,” said Dave Bratton, Program Coordinator of the Secaucus Coalition. “The DFC will continue to be an instrumental piece of our town’s efforts to reduce youth substance abuse in our community, especially given the e-cigarette/vaping epidemic that is affecting our nation’s young people. We are grateful that our town’s hard work and dedication to substance abuse prevention over the years were recognized with this grant.”

“The Hudson County Coalition for a Drug-Free Community (HCCDFC) is honored to receive funding that continues to foster our partnership and prevention efforts,” said Yaisa Coronado, Program Director for Hudson County Coalition and Associate Executive Director for Partners in Prevention. “The DFC Mentoring Grant promotes coalitions to work together towards the shared goal of decreasing substance abuse by offering established coalitions the opportunity to ‘mentor’ other civically-engaged groups.  Only through collaboration that strengthens our response to the growing issue of drug use and misuse, can we achieve impactful change in our communities. We are grateful to SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) for recognizing HCCDFC as a partner in this mission, Congressman Pascrell for his support, and the North Bergen Prevention Coalition for their enduring commitment to reducing youth substance use.”

Rep. Pascrell has worked closely with the Office of National Drug Control Policy to bring increased resources to cities and community organizations fighting drug use. Last year, Pascrell helped secure $450,000 in federal DFC awards for coalitions throughout Bergen and Hudson Counties, and in October 2014, he helped win $1.25M for the Rutherford Community Prevention Coalition.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy is awarding an initial round of 150 new DFC grants representing a total Federal investment of over $18.7 million to community coalitions. Additional DFC grants will be announced in the coming months. The program has grown from $10 million in 1998 to $100 million in 2019, along with the number of grantees from 92 original grantees to more than 2,000 grantees.

Created by Congress in 1997, the Drug-Free Communities Support Program is the nation’s leading player in mobilizing communities and using grants to community coalitions to build and strengthen bonds between local partners to prevent youth substance use.

Recognizing that local problems require local solutions, DFC-funded coalitions engage multiple sectors of the community and employ a variety of strategies to address local drug problems. Coalitions are comprised of community leaders, parents, youth leaders, teachers, religious and fraternal organizations, healthcare and business professionals, law enforcement, and media. By involving the community in a solution-oriented approach, Drug-Free Community also helps youth at risk for substance use recognize that the majority of America’s children and young adults choose not to use drugs.