CE26-0208 - strengthen & sustain the stand up cass county coalition. - youth services alliance (YSA) will serve as the fiscal agent for stand up cass county (SUCC)

The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded $125,000 to Youth Services Alliance Inc. on July 1, 2026, under the Drug-Free Communities Support Program (CFDA 93.276) to strengthen and sustain the Stand Up Cass County Coalition, a substance abuse prevention coalition serving Cass County, Indiana.

Youth Services Alliance serves as fiscal agent for Stand Up Cass County, which focuses on preventing and reducing substance use among youth through community-based prevention programs and strategies. The coalition, initially formed in 2017 under a Partnership for Success grant, earned Blue Ribbon Coalition recognition from CADCA in 2022. This award covers years 6–10 of DFC funding, with a performance period from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. The coalition emphasizes capacity building, cross-sector collaboration, and locally tailored prevention approaches responsive to community needs in Cass County.

The Drug-Free Communities Support Program establishes and strengthens collaborations among community coalitions, public and private nonprofit agencies, and federal, state, local, and tribal governments to prevent youth substance abuse. Community coalitions must demonstrate at least six months of prior collaborative work on substance abuse reduction, meet composition requirements including substantial volunteer engagement, commit to financial sustainability, provide 100–150 percent cash or in-kind match, and participate in program evaluation.

Stand up cass county is the substance abuse prevention coalition from cass county indiana. YSA has been working in the prevention field for 26 years. Though there have been many different funding streams over those years, the ability to facilitate prevention programs/strategies through implementing the drug free communities grant program has been something incredibly unique and has been very successful. At the time SUCC was known as the cass county substance abuse prevention coalition (CCASPC) and IT was a small coalition formed under YSA's previous grant, partnership for success (PFS) back in 2017. The coalition was simply a small group of individuals working on substance abuse prevention through programs/strategies approved by the state. The foundation was built through PFS and at the end of 2020 cass county was awarded the DFC grant. Being awarded the DFC grant gave the coalition the resources IT needed to make a much larger impact on the community. IT empowered the members to take ownership of the coalition and encouraged them to learn more and teach more prevention. Capacity building and collaborations was a primary focus for these first 5 years of funding. In 2022 we were even recognized as a blue ribbon coalition by cadca. The idea that local problems, require local solutions is extremely accurate and we have embraced that concept. Prevention approaches that will work in one community, may not work in another. The required action plan is supposed to be a "living plan", something that should be adjusted and/or changed as the community/coalition sees fit. This approach has allowed US flexibility in delivering top notch prevention activities and has allowed US to quickly respond to the needs in cass county. The coalition is applying to continue its work by obtaining years 6-10 DFC funding. The coalition has seen progress in capacity building and collaborations, but IT is now needing time to concentrate on building sustainable, without DFC funds. There has been incredible momentum this first 5 years, but there is a lot more to do to create a fully sustainable coalition. The coalition will continue to work towards the goals of decreasing substance use in the community's youth, as well as creating/sustaining community collaborations. There are already many strong relationships within the community and the coalition has grown to be an organization people can depend on and trust for resources and support. People seek out to participation of the coalition in community events/activities/planning processes. Families and youth look forward to the substance free alternative events that we CO-host monthly. Cass county does not have a youth/community/resource center so the coalition has had to be creative in providing families free fun. Action teams have been established to implement and track the yearly action plan; this assures that not a handful of members are tasked with completing the entire plan. SUCC is applying for years 6-10 DFC funds in order to move into the next phase of this plan. The coalition feels confident that IT can continue to complete necessary steps to become sustainable after funding ends. Even in this time where federal funds are stalled, we are still keeping our initiatives going to the best of our ability. The coalition is ready to continue what IT has been doing as well as build more as we move forward over the next 5 years.