SN4C holcomb community

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Holcomb Associates, Inc. (doing business as Holcomb Behavioral Health Systems) $250,000 under the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Projects of Regional and National Significance program on September 30, 2026.

The award funds the Southern New Castle County (SN4C) Holcomb Community project, which strengthens community collaboration and builds prevention capacity in Southern New Castle County, Delaware. The project implements substance use prevention education and awareness targeting youth ages 9–20, their families, and older adults; identifies and addresses service gaps through data collection and outreach; and decreases youth access to alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana through compliance partnerships while providing youth-led prevention leadership opportunities. Performance occurs in Newark, Delaware, covering Southern New Castle County service areas including Middletown, Odessa, Townsend, southwestern Bear, and portions of Newark.

The project period runs from September 30, 2026 through September 29, 2031. SN4C, the recipient community coalition, pursues these goals through the Strategic Prevention Framework and seven community change strategies to strengthen local prevention efforts and increase awareness across families, older adults, veterans, and communities.

Abstract

Summary: SN4C holcomb community. Through this project, we will strengthen community collaboration and build capacity around substance use prevention in southern new castle county. Implement prevention education and awareness for youth ages 9-20, their families, and older adults. Enhance the ability of the community to identify and address gaps in service through data collection, outreach and capacity. Decrease youth access to substances through compliance partnerships while focusing on empowering youth through providing prevention based leadership opportunities. Southern new castle county communities coalition (SN4C) is a community group composed of individuals and organizations who believe in our mission to prevent youth substance use and abuse in order to produce healthy stable, family oriented communities. The priority population will be defined as children and youth ages 9 to 20, their families, older adults, and communities. The geographic area for the proposed prevention strategies will be southern new castle county, which is inclusive of middletown (19709) our largest community, odessa, (19730), townsend (19734), southwestern portions of bear (19701) and portions of newark (19701, 19702). SN4C started as 4 members at a kitchen table wanting to do more to help our communities' youth avoid the negative consequences of drugs and alcohol. Today we have quadrupled in size and in using local data as a guide we agreed to address alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use. The goals and objectives for this project are to strengthen community collaboration and support local efforts to prevent youth substance use through decreasing access and increasing education and awareness for families, older adults/veterans, and communities. The coalition will achieve these goals through the strategic prevention framework and thorough experiences with seven strategies for community change. We'LL increase capacity to promote awareness of prevention efforts. Enhance the ability of the community to identify gaps in needs through data collection, outreach and capacity building. Form a workgroup to create the inaugural marijuana presentation with support from the division of alcohol and tobacco enforcement (date). As measured by the number of workgroup meetings. By 2028, create an inaugural marijuana presentation for the prevention field in partnership and date. As measured by 1 presentation. By 2031, increase outreach efforts to older adults/veteran populations. Increase information dissemination and awareness around marijuana and recent state approval of recreational marijuana to adult populations. In 2028, establish media campaigns for each target population of veterans, older adults and 21+ populations around safe storage and disposal of marijuana, along with risk awareness for use with prescription drugs as measured by campaign material created. Increase number of school-based prevention youth-led coalition groups by 2031. Prevent youth substance use of alcohol, marijuana, and e-cigarettes/ vape products. By 2031, increase youth perception of great risk for marijuana use by 4% as measured by the delaware school survey. By 2031, increase youth participation in trainings and leadership development by 10%. As measured by youth attendance logs. In 2031 increase perception of great risk of vaping by 5% for youth measured by the delaware schools survey (DSS 2022). We are committed to building prevention capacity and decreasing youth access, increasing education and awareness around alcohol, tobacco/vape products and marijuana. The proposed number of people to be served as a result of the award of this grant: estimating impacts of 3,200 annually and for the entire duration or lifetime of the project 16,000 with media impression rates over 70,000.