Project Grant NH28CE004137

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded Westcare Wisconsin, Inc. $125,000 on July 1, 2026, under the Drug-Free Communities Support Program (CFDA 93.276) for Year 6 of the WC-WI Coalition's implementation, a competing continuation grant.

The WC-WI Coalition operates from the Westcare Wisconsin Harambee Community Center in Milwaukee's Harambee neighborhood to reduce youth substance use through prevention strategies addressing alcohol, marijuana, and opioids. The coalition delivers education, community engagement, and positive alternatives to support middle and high school students and families in a drug-free environment while increasing protective factors and reducing youth exposure to substances. The Harambee neighborhood, bounded by 7th Street and Humboldt Boulevard (west-east) and Walnut/Pleasant Street to Capitol Drive (south-north), has a population of 10,511, with approximately 35 percent under age 21. The median household income of $30,587 is substantially lower than the national median of $78,538, and local youth ages 5–17 experience a 30.8 percent child poverty rate and elevated risk factors for substance use including reduced access to protective supports and increased substance availability.

The award period runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. Place of performance is Wisconsin. The DFC Support Program's statutory goals include establishing and strengthening community collaboration to prevent and reduce youth substance abuse and addressing community risk factors while promoting protective factors to reduce substance abuse among youth and, over time, adults.