Partnership for success in pima county-building resiliency project

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Portable Practical Educational Preparation, Inc. (PPEP) $481,955 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.492).

PPEP will build countywide substance use prevention capacity in Pima County, Arizona, through the Partnerships for Success Building Resiliency Project. The project develops local data on youth substance use, builds a coalition-based prevention workforce, delivers evidence-based prevention services to youth ages 10 to 20, and mobilizes youth as prevention leaders. Prevention activities target alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drug use, with priority given to youth whose parents or caregivers are currently or recently involved with criminal justice, child welfare, or social services systems. Population-based prevention will reach 1,000 youth annually; direct services will serve approximately 100 youth annually, roughly balanced by sex. The project serves Pima County's diverse geography, spanning metro Tucson, South Tucson, the rural Amado Corridor, and areas including the Tohono O'Odham Nation and Pascua Yaqui Tribe, while respecting sovereign tribal prevention efforts.

Performance of the award runs from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2031. Work is performed in Tucson, Arizona.

Abstract

Project name: partnerships for success building resiliency project (BRP). Applicant: portable practical educational preparation, INC. (ppep) portable practical educational preparation, INC. (ppep) proposes the partnerships for success building resiliency project (BRP) to build countywide substance use prevention capacity in pima county, arizona, addressing rising risk around alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs. The BRP will develop local data on youth substance use, build a coalition-based prevention workforce, deliver evidence-based prevention to youth ages 10 to 20, and mobilize youth as prevention leaders, prioritizing youth whose parents or caregivers are systems-involved or justice-exposed. Geographic area and capacity needed. Pima county, arizona (funding category c; population 1,043,433) spans metro tucson, south tucson, and the rural amado corridor, and includes the tohono o'odham nation and pascua yaqui tribe, whose sovereign prevention efforts the BRP does not duplicate. The county lacks local data on systems-involved youth, has an unevenly trained prevention workforce, no targeted services for justice-exposed families, and no youth prevention leadership structure; the BRP builds capacity in each area. Population of focus. Youth ages 10 to 20 countywide (154,258), with a priority sub-population of youth whose parents or caregivers are currently or recently (within three years) involved with the criminal justice, child welfare, or social services systems. Population to be served. Population-based prevention will reach 1,000 youth ages 10 to 20 countywide annually; direct services will serve 100 youth annually, drawn primarily from the priority sub-population, roughly balanced by SEX (50.8% male, 49.2% female). These youth show elevated risk: 76.8% report an adverse childhood experience and 16.9% report a parent's incarceration, both linked to substance use. Strategies and interventions. The BRP implements the strategic prevention framework through three coalitions, the community prevention coalition, the amado community alliance, and south tucson operation prevention, intervention, and treatment, delivering too good for drugs, botvin lifeskills training, active parenting, and samhsa's "talk. They hear you." campaign. A standing two-year workforce cycle builds competency in core practices, sapst, and selected evidence-based programs. A youth advisory structure spanning befreepima and the amado youth alliance mobilizes youth as prevention leaders. Project goals. Goal 1: develop local data on the priority sub-population and build coalition capacity to apply IT in prevention planning. Goal 2: build the competencies and skills of the prevention workforce to deliver evidence-based prevention countywide. Goal 3: provide coordinated, evidence-based substance use prevention to pima county youth, especially youth whose parents or caregivers are systems-involved or justice-exposed. Goal 4: mobilize pima county youth as prevention leaders to shift peer norms and CO-create prevention countywide. Measurable objectives. By 4/30/2027, complete a countywide needs assessment with community and youth advisory input (objective 1.1). By 9/29/2027, deliver foundational prevention training to 75 adults, rising to 100 adults annually by 9/29/2028. By 9/29/2027, reach 1,000 youth through population-based prevention and serve 100 youth through direct services (objective 3.2). By 9/29/2027, establish a standing youth advisory structure engaging 24 youth in CO-creating prevention (objective 4.1). These objectives advance samhsa's strategic priorities on prevention, data, and evidence-based practice.