Project Grant NH28CE004207

The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded the Town of Wethersfield, Connecticut $125,000 under the Drug-Free Communities Support Program Grants (CFDA 93.276) on July 1, 2026.

The grant funds WEHOPE (Wethersfield Helping Others Through Prevention and Education), a community coalition project to expand engagement and mobilization of youth, parents, and community partners to reduce youth alcohol, drug, and nicotine use in Wethersfield. Over the five-year period of performance through June 30, 2031, WEHOPE will directly impact 3,702 Wethersfield youth ages 11–18 and 1,851 family and community members. The coalition will establish and strengthen collaboration among community stakeholders to address youth substance use, with specific focus on alcohol, cannabis, and nicotine based on existing youth survey data.

WEHOPE's stated objectives include increasing community awareness from 25 percent to 35 percent, strengthening ongoing communication and collaboration between law enforcement and WEHOPE, and decreasing the percentage of Wethersfield youth in grades 7–12 reporting easy access to alcohol from 30.2 percent in 2025 to 26.7 percent by 2031. Performance will occur in Connecticut.

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 and reduce youth substance abuse and address community risk and protective factors.