Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention awarded Interaction, Inc. (operating as Youth Services) a $750,000 Project Grant under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.243) effective September 30, 2025, through September 29, 2030. The award supports the Windham County Prevention Partnership Strategic Prevention Framework Initiative, a trauma-informed, comprehensive initiative designed to address substance abuse and mental health prevention needs in Windham County, Vermont—a rural, underserved community with a population of 45,966.

The initiative delivers evidence-based prevention services and capacity-building support across multiple intervention areas: reducing youth and young adult cannabis use and prescription drug misuse through community and school-based strategies; increasing prevention infrastructure to better serve rural and low-socioeconomic status communities; and providing targeted mental health and substance use support for LGBTQ+ youth. The Windham County Prevention Partnership employs a comprehensive approach encompassing information dissemination, education, preventive alternatives, policy change, identification and referral services, and community-based processes guided by the Strategic Prevention Framework's five components: assessment, capacity building, community planning, service delivery, and outcome evaluation. The project anticipates serving approximately 39,705 individuals annually across the county.