Project Grant NH28CE004199

The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded $125,000 to the Turtleback Take Back Team on July 1, 2026, under the Drug-Free Communities Support Program Grants (CFDA 93.276), a project grant with performance extending through June 30, 2031.

The Turtleback Take Back Team Coalition will implement evidence-based prevention strategies to reduce and prevent youth substance use in the Turtleback community of northeastern San Diego, California. The coalition aims to engage all 12 community sectors to shift community norms, build protective policy, and restrict youth access to substances. Key activities include increasing coalition participation and attendance, expanding youth leadership and involvement, eliminating targeted messaging toward youth, and building partnerships with local law enforcement. The recipient serves a diverse, predominantly Hispanic population of approximately 30,000 residents. The community has undergone rapid densification with multi-family and low-income housing development alongside unregulated commercial activity including smoke shops, alcohol delivery services, and marijuana storefronts, conditions that have normalized substance availability to youth without perceived legal or health consequences.

The Drug-Free Communities Support Program establishes and strengthens collaborations among community coalitions, public and private agencies, and federal, state, local, and tribal governments to prevent and reduce youth substance abuse and address risk factors while promoting protective factors.