Family & childrens service proposes to implement the opioid affected youth program in nashville, tennessee

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) awarded a $745,579 Project Grant under the Opioid Affected Youth Initiative (CFDA 16.842) to Family & Children's Service (FCS), a nonprofit organization in Nashville, Tennessee. The purpose of this 3-year award is to implement the Opioid Affected Youth Program, which will provide coordinated mental health services, case management, and other supports for children and families impacted by opioid and other substance abuse disorders in Nashville. The program aims to improve outcomes by expanding capacity for direct service delivery, promoting family stability and permanency, and streamlining service access through a "no wrong door" case management approach. FCS will work with a coalition of public and private sector partners to deliver these critical services to the target population of opioid-affected youth and their families.

The purpose is to meet the need for a coordinated, integrated, and holistic response to opioid use and misuse in nashville. This program will work to increase meaningful mental health services, case management, and coordination for children and families affected by opioid and other drug use disorders to significantly improve outcomes for both. The intended beneficiaries of the project include children (age 18 and under) and their families who live in the target area of the project. Targeted youth and families are those that have been impacted by the opioid crises and other types of drug use and are at high risk for a variety of challenges, including family disruption, housing instability and homelessness, incarceration, mental illness, domestic violence, child abuse, poverty, and abandonment. Expected outcomes include coordinated service delivery to clients with a coalition of partners both public and private sector, expanding existing capacity for direct service delivery, providing interventions that promote stability and create permanency for clients, and providing a "no wrong door" approach to case management to streamline service delivery.