Project dawn: developing awareness, wellness, and navigationa community partnership advancing behavioral health, resilience, and community safety - the SAN antonio council on alcohol and drug…

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the San Antonio Council On Alcohol And Drug Awareness $750,000 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532) to implement Project DAWN across Bexar County, Texas.

Project DAWN is a five-year behavioral health and community safety initiative designed to strengthen community capacity to identify, engage, and support youth, adults, and families experiencing or at risk for behavioral health challenges related to crime, violence, substance use, trauma, and community disorder. The project will deliver behavioral health screening, assessment, resource navigation, care coordination, warm handoffs, and referrals to treatment and recovery services. Additional services include prevention education, mentoring, family engagement, behavioral health awareness campaigns, resilience-building activities, and recovery support. Behavioral health navigators will facilitate timely connections to evidence-based behavioral health, substance use treatment, recovery, and supportive services while improving service coordination.

The project targets youth exposed to violence, individuals with serious mental illness, substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders, justice-involved individuals, veterans, individuals experiencing homelessness, and families facing multiple behavioral health and social challenges in Bexar County, home to more than 2.1 million residents. The population faces significant behavioral health disparities including increasing rates of mental health conditions, substance use, suicide, overdose deaths, and violent crime, compounded by provider shortages, fragmented referral systems, transportation barriers, and workforce limitations.

Performance period extends through September 29, 2031. SACADA is partnering with the Circles of San Antonio Community Coalition to implement the initiative.

Project dawn: developing awareness, wellness, and navigationa community partnership advancing behavioral health, resilience, and community safety - the SAN antonio council on alcohol and drug awareness (SACADA), in partnership with the circles of SAN antonio community coalition, proposes to implement project dawn (developing awareness, wellness, and navigation), a comprehensive five-year behavioral health and community safety initiative throughout bexar county, texas. Project dawn will strengthen community capacity to identify, engage, and support youth, adults, and families experiencing or at risk for behavioral health challenges related to crime, violence, substance use, trauma, and community disorder. Bexar county, home to more than 2.1 million residents, continues to experience significant behavioral health disparities, increasing rates of mental health conditions, substance use, suicide, overdose deaths, and violent crime. Provider shortages, fragmented referral systems, transportation barriers, and workforce limitations contribute to delayed access to behavioral health services, particularly in underserved communities. The project's population of focus will be youth exposed to violence, individuals with serious mental illness, substance use disorders, and CO-occurring disorders, justice-involved individuals, veterans, individuals experiencing homelessness, and families facing multiple behavioral health and social challenges. Project dawn services include behavioral health screening, assessment, resource navigation, care coordination, warm handoffs, referrals to treatment and recovery services, prevention education, mentoring, family engagement, behavioral health awareness campaigns, resilience-building activities, and recovery support. Behavioral health navigators will work closely with community partners to ensure timely connections to evidence-based behavioral health, substance use treatment, recovery, and supportive services while improving coordination across healthcare, behavioral health, education, public safety, and community-based systems. Workforce development activities will strengthen the community's behavioral health response capacity by providing mental health first aid, youth mental health first aid, question, persuade, refer (QPR), behavioral health awareness, trauma-informed care, and referral training to educators, healthcare professionals, first responders, law enforcement, behavioral health providers, community organizations, faith-based organizations, and other frontline personnel. These activities will improve the early identification of behavioral health concerns and expand the community's ability to respond effectively to individuals in need. By the end of the project period, project dawn anticipates screening at least 500 individuals and enrolling at least 250 high-risk youth and family members in behavioral health, prevention, recovery, or supportive services; and providing prevention, coping skills, and resilience education to at least 600 community members through 48 presentations, trainings and workshops. Project dawn will be implemented through a robust network of community partners, including the center for health care services, UT health SAN antonio be well institute, university health, rise recovery, lifetime recovery, the SAN antonio metropolitan health district, bexar county juvenile probation department, the SAN antonio police department, south texas hidta, local school districts, family violence prevention services, southside collaborative, bethel prevention coalition, texas health and human services commission, healthcare providers, faith-based organizations, and other members of the circles of SAN antonio community coalition. Together, these partners will improve behavioral health outcomes, strengthen community safety, expand access to care, and build a sustainable, coordinated behavioral health system across bexar county.