Drug free communities of dallas county SPF-PFS

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Dallas County System of Services Inc. (doing business as Dallas County Children's Policy Council) $1,239,089 on September 30, 2025, under the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.492).

The recipient is implementing a community-based substance use prevention program in Dallas County, Alabama, serving children and youth in grades K–12 across the county's two school systems and adults over age 18, with a total target population of 36,165. The program operates through the Strategic Prevention Framework and delivers prevention services using community-based processes, information dissemination, education, alternatives, problem identification and referral, and environmental strategies to strengthen protective factors, reduce risk factors, build resilience, and promote well-being.

Measurable objectives through September 29, 2030, include completing five annual needs assessments of Dallas County, holding 20 Partnership for Success Workgroup meetings, and conducting five Strategic Prevention Framework planning sessions. Performance takes place in Selma, Alabama. The award period runs through September 29, 2030.

Abstract

Of project: through implementing the strategic prevention framework, drug free communities of dallas county has designed a comprehensive program to prevent the initiation and progression of substance use and its related problems by delivering community-based substance use prevention services serving youth, and over time, adults in dallas county, alabama. Project name: drug free communities of dallas county SPF-PFS population of focus: children and youth (grades K-12) in the county's two school systems and adults over the age of 18 in dallas county, alabama. Total population is 36,165. The overall county population is 71% black or african american, 27.1% white, 1% two or more races, 0.3% american indian, and 0.6% asian with 1.1% hispanic/latino. Strategies/interventions: drug free communities of dallas county (DFCDC) has developed a comprehensive project timeline that incorporates the goals of the SPF-PFS-communities/tribe grant. Strategies include community-based processes, information dissemination, education, alternatives, problem identification and referral, and environmental that strengthen protective factors, reduce risk factors, build resilience, and promote well-being in dallas county, alabama. Project goals/measurable objectives: goal one: expand and strengthen prevention capacity to implement evidence-based, evidence-informed, and community-defined evidence-based prevention strategies in dallas county, alabama; objective 1: by september 29, 2030, DFCDC will have completed 5 annual needs assessments of dallas county as measured by completed needs assessments; objective 2: by september 29, 2030, DFCDC will have held 20 partnership for success workgroup (PSW) meetings as measured by meeting sign-in sheets; objective 3: by september 29, 2030, DFCDC will have conducted 5 strategic prevention framework planning sessions as measured by meeting sign-in sheets; goal two: prevent the initiation and progression of substance use and its related problems by delivering community-based substance use prevention services that strengthen protective factors, reduce risk factors, build resilience and promote well-being among youth (grades 6-12), and over time adults, in dallas county, alabama; objective 1: by september 29, 2030, decrease by 4% the number of youth in grades 6-12 in dallas county schools and selma city schools who report past 30-day use of cigarettes as measured by the youth experience survey (yes) (baseline: 12.85% of 6TH, 8TH, 10TH and 12TH grade students in dallas county schools and selma city schools report past 30-day use of cigarettes, spring 2022); objective 2: by september 29, 2030, decrease by 4% the number of youth in grades 6-12 in dallas county schools and selma city schools who report past 30-day use of vapes as measured by the yes (baseline: 14.34% of 6TH, 8TH, 10TH and 12TH grade students in dallas county schools and selma city schools report past 30-day use of vapes, spring 2022); objective 3: by september 29, 2030, decrease by 5% the number of youth in grades 6-12 in dallas county schools and selma city schools who report a lack of positive social behaviors in the past year as measured by the yes (baseline: 41.2% of 6TH, 8TH, 10TH and 12TH grade students in dallas county schools and selma city schools report lack of positive social behavior in the past year, spring 2022) number to be served: the coalition will serve 36,175 unduplicated numbers of individuals annually and over the entire course of the project. Through implementing comprehensive prevention strategies that target both the individual and environmental levels, dallas county will reach its total population through the course of the project.