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Presently, the mentor, Hunterdon County Safe Communities Coalition (HCSCC) and the mentee, Partnership for Health Coalition (PFHC), have a strong collaborative partnership and are poised to take the partnership to the next level via a mentoring relationship, solidifying the PFHC as a DFC-eligible grantee. Both the mentor and mentee have prevention as central to their mission, a key determinant in the decision to pursue the DFC mentoring opportunity. In addition, HCSCC has already been providing informal direction for the PFHC with local data assessment, drug and alcohol education, methodology of data collection, recruitment strategies for required 12 sectors, and establishment of a sustainability plan. The HCSCC in its prior 10 years and since becoming a DFC grantee has exceeded its goals in relation to the four core measures of the DFC program. As evidence, HCSCC received three prestigious awards from CADCA (Community Anti-drug Coalitions of America): 2017 "Got Outcomes Coalition of the Year" Award; 2013 Got Outcomes Milestone Award and 2010 Dose of Prevention Award. HCSCC also expanded capacity by 115% since 2009 and was awarded a contract in 2014 to present training and technical assistance to over 12 coalitions on how to utilize the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) and CADCA's 7 strategies for change. HCSCC also has significant experience in mentoring through the DFC Mentoring program. In 2012-2013 HCSCC mentored the Safe Communities Coalition of Somerset County NJ, which was awarded the DFC grant on its first try. In 2014-2015, HCSCC mentored a neighboring coalition in PA, NHS Cares, and they were also awarded the DFC grant in their second year of mentoring. One Voice Coalition, HCSCC's 3rd mentee has applied for DFC funding in 2018 with great hopes of receiving funding. This clearly corroborates the capacity of HCSCC to successfully mentor a DFC mentee, as well as its effective training of the SPF. PFHC, with its strong leadership, high capacity and outreach in the community is an ideal candidate for the DFC mentoring opportunity. PFHC's ""healthier community"" initiative was co-founded in 1995 by John Beckley, former Hunterdon County Health Department Director, Robert Wise, President and CEO of Hunterdon Healthcare System and Dr. Bernadette West, the Executive Director of Local Advisory Board (LAB), a central NJ regional health planning organization. Since that time, the PFHC expanded and developed, especially over the last 7 years, into a county-wide coalition of over 60 community agencies sharing a common interest in promoting the health of county residents. The coalition has taken the lead in conducting a wide range of community surveys and assessments designed to measure and track community health indicators over the years resulting in working to reduce substance use due to the following results: 1. Alcohol and marijuana are the most frequently used substances among high schools students. 2. Prevalence of binge drinking among Hunterdon adults and percentage of adult heavy drinkers are higher than state average. 3. Lifetime heroin use among Hunterdon high school students is higher than NJ average. 4. Majority of residents admitted for substance abuse treatment are due to alcohol followed by heroin/opiates. The PFHC is eager to further develop internal strategies including the strategic prevention framework model that has led the HCSCC to become so successful, allow them to become DFC eligible grantees. A successful working relationship between the 2 coalitions already exists and will be enhanced by the formalized structure of the mentoring partnership. The roles and expectations will be documented in the Strategic Action Plan which will serve as the guideline for mentor responsibilities and Mentee coalition building strategies.

NCADD Hudson, the fiscal agent for the Hudson County Coalition for a Drug-Free Community (HCCDFC), is eligible to apply for a Drug Free Communities Mentoring Program (DFC Mentoring) grant through the Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). The DFC Mentoring funds are to "provide grant funds to existing DFC grantees, so that they may serve as Mentors to newly-formed and/or developing coalitions that have never received a DFC grant." If funded, our coalition will mentor a fledging coalition developing in North Bergen, NJ. The services to be provided by HCCDFC through DFC Mentoring funds include the following: 1. The primary goal of the mentoring grant is to assist newly forming coalitions in becoming eligible to apply for DFC funding on their own. At the end of Mentoring grant, our Mentee coalition will meet all of the Statutory Eligibility Requirements of the DFC program and will be fully prepared to compete for the DFC grant on its own. 2. We will achieve this goal by implementing a rigorous Action Plan to meet the following objectives: (1) Strengthen our Mentee coalition's organizational structure; (2) Increase our Mentee coalition's leadership and community readiness to address youth substance use problems in the Mentee community; (3) Assist our Mentee coalition in working through a strategic planning process that will result in a comprehensive plan. 3. Through the DFC Mentoring Program, HCCDFC will develop mentoring activities that will support and encourage the development of our Mentee coalition that are focused on the prevention of youth substance use. Funding will be used to provide our Mentee coalitions with the training and technical assistance necessary to ensure formation of a strong and effective community coalition.

The Bulloch County Alcohol and Drug Council (BADC) is partnering with the Decatur Prevention Initiative to seek funding for the 2018 Drug-Free Communities Mentoring Program. BADC will assist DPI in building internal capacity, provide technical assistance and training. This mentoring relationship can prepare DPI in successfully applying for future DFC funding. BADC and DPI staff have a long history of collaborating on projects that have had a positive impact on their targeted communities, Bulloch County and the City of Decatur. Bulloch County was awarded the prestigious Drug-Free Communities grant in 2015. BADC has an active community coalition with the support of an agency with over 40 years of successfully providing prevention services to the citizens of Bulloch County. Utilizing the Strategic Prevention Framework, BADC has systematically conducted needs assessments, offered programs and evaluated their efforts for many years. Ordinances have passed as a result of their continued focus and programs instituted that have resulted in a marked increase in local compliance by local business regarding alcohol sales. Implementing community-wide awareness programs and evidence-based prevention programming to its youth has resulted in a significant decrease in substance abuse among the youth in Bulloch County. BADC will take this expertise and assist the Decatur Prevention Initiative in strengthening their current coalition and becoming eligible for DFC funding. The target population is The City of Decatur, the oldest city in Metropolitan Atlanta. Decatur is home to over 21,000 people within its urban 4-square miles. The population is 70% Caucasian, 22% African-American, 4 % Asian, 3% Hispanic and 3% reporting 2+ races. DPI targets the 3,000 households with minor children, most of whom attend the City Schools of Decatur (CSD), which serves 5,500 students. Decatur has one of the largest per-capita same-sex households in the country. The annual median income is over $81,000, with income increasing 10% for white households from 2000-2010 and declining 50% for African-American households. Decatur is struggling to address its changing cultural demographics, as housing prices soar and affordable housing becomes scarce. Five percent of Decatur’s population lives in public housing, with 10% of CSD students residing there. Eleven percent of these residents are foreign-born, requiring DPI to ensure that services that are cultural and linguistically appropriate. Further emphasizing the disparities, the average home value is $491,300. It is a community with great disparities, with one of the highest income earners in the state, living alongside public housing. Decatur City Schools are nationally recognized for their quality of education. This reputation has contributed to the dramatic increase in housing prices as this community is experiencing rapid growth. DPI’s needs assessment has shown that the City Schools of Decatur has the highest 30-day use of alcohol (12th grade-39%) among the 185+ Georgia School Systems. In 2016, they were also ranked # 1 in marijuana use for grades 6-12 when compared with those same school systems. Local overdoses of young adults are becoming more wide-spread. Decatur could greatly benefit from the expertise of such a qualified coalition to help stem the tide of growing substance abuse problems and ultimately, save lives. This grant details the need for Decatur to have more focus placed on comprehensive Strategic Prevention planning. BADC will link its 12-sector community leaders with DPI’s membership to lend their expertise in bringing about community-level change. Implementing the detailed 12-month action plan, whose goals are to increase capacity, readiness, and sustainability will enable DPI to receive the training, technical assistance, support and resources desperately needed to prepare to make a successful bid for a DFC grant.