Project Grant H79TI088848

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Families Involved In Recovery Support And Transformation Center (First Center) $350,000 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.490).

First Center will operate FIRST CARES, a peer-led recovery support and workforce development initiative serving five rural Appalachian counties in south-central Pennsylvania—Bedford, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, and Mifflin. The project connects individuals in recovery, their families, and transition-age youth (15–17) to peer support specialists functioning as system navigators, treatment pathways, employment resources, and community partnerships across the 3,151-square-mile service area. The population affected by substance use disorder, serious mental illness, or co-occurring conditions numbers approximately 18,000 employed adults and an estimated 15,700 transition-age youth, concentrated in regions characterized by low population density, transportation barriers, poverty, health coverage gaps, and behavioral health workforce shortages.

The award funds active recruitment in workforce development centers and community referrals targeting adults, veterans, families, and youth affected by opioid use disorder, co-occurring mental health conditions, overdose risk, unemployment, housing instability, justice involvement, and limited access to treatment and recovery resources. Place of performance is Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. The award period runs through September 29, 2029.