Project Grant H79TI085551

BUILDING COMMUNITIES OF RECOVERY EXPANDING FOCUS TO PRIORITY POPULATIONS - ABSTRACT COVENANT COMMUNITY, INC THROUGH THE BUILDING COMMUNITIES OF RECOVERY EXPANDING FOCUS TO PRIORITY POPULATIONS PROJECT WILL EXPAND THE REACH OF ITS RECOVERY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION (RCO), RECOVERY RESOURCES OF ATLANTA MIDTOWN (RRAM) TO EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS THE RECOVERY SUPPORT SERVICE (RSS) NEEDS OF THE PRIORITY POPULATION OF CURRENT ILLICIT DRUG USERS, THE LATINX POPULATION, AND YOUNG ADULTS 18-26 OF AGE IN AND AROUND THE ATLANTA METROPOLITAN AREA. FOR MORE THAN THREE DECADES, COVENANT COMMUNITY INC. HAS ANSWERED THE CLARION CALL OF FREEING MEN FROM THE GRIPS OF ADDICTION THROUGH ITS RESIDENTIAL LIFE STABILIZATION PROGRAM. OVER 1,000 MEN HAVE RECLAIMED THEIR LIVES IN THE AWARD-WINNING THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY. OUT OF THE GROWING CONCERN FOR THE FUTURE OF ALL PERSONS EXPERIENCING SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS (SUDS), COVENANT COMMUNITY LAUNCHED AN RCO IN 2019. SINCE ITS INCEPTION, THE RRAM HAS SERVED OVER 3,000 UNDUPLICATED PEERS. THE BUILDING COMMUNITIES OF RECOVERY EXPANDING FOCUS TO PRIORITY POPULATIONS PROJECT AIMS TO INCREASE THE PENETRATION OF RECOVERY SUPPORT SERVICES IN THE COMMUNITY BY CREATING A CONTINUUM OF PREVENTION AND RECOVERY-ORIENTED SUPPORTS. THE STRATEGY/INTERVENTIONS: THE RCO WILL IMPLEMENT AN EXPANSION OF ITS BASIC NEEDS, HARM REDUCTION, PEER SUPPORT SERVICES, AND RECOVERY-FOCUSED MEETINGS TO INCLUDE THE DISTRIBUTION OF FENTANYL DETECTION METHODS, LINGUISTICALLY AND CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE RECOVERY MEETINGS, EVIDENCE-BASED PREVENTION WORKSHOPS, AND A MEDIA CAMPAIGN (RING THE ALARM) TO PROMOTE AWARENESS AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER EDUCATION. THEY WILL INCREASE THEIR STAFF FROM 4 CERTIFIED PEER SPECIALISTS BY ADDING 2 PEER OUTREACH STAFF, ONE OF WHICH WILL BE BILINGUAL, AND 2 IN-KIND COORDINATORS TO ENSURE THE FIDELITY OF THE PROGRAMMING. PROJECT GOALS: FIVE PROJECT GOALS WITH MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED. 1. BASIC NEEDS: REDUCE BARRIERS 2. HARM REDUCTION: REDUCE OPIOID DEATHS 3. PUBLIC AWARENESS: INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS AND REDUCE THE STIGMA OF SUD. 4. LATINX POPULATION: INCREASE ACCESS TO RECOVERY SUPPORT SERVICES IN THE LATINX POPULATION 5. YOUNG ADULT POPULATION: DECREASE YOUNG ADULT (18-26) SUBSTANCE USE IN THE COMMUNITY IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 1,365 UNDUPLICATED INDIVIDUALS WILL BE SERVED, AND 9,003 RECOVERY SUPPORT SERVICES WILL BE PROVIDED TO INDIVIDUALS AT A HIGH RISK OF DEVELOPING A SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, EXPERIENCING A SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, OR IN RECOVERY FROM A SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER AS A RESULT OF THE AWARD OF THIS GRANT.