DRUG FREE COMMUNITIES

NEWS - Federal Drug-Free Communities Grant awarded to Seattle Neighborhood Group This grant will support community safety and drug prevention/intervention efforts in White Center and South Delridge.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
The mission of the Drug Free Communities (DFC) program is to reduce substance use and abuse among youth and young adults. DFC is a project of Seattle Weed and Seed and will expand on the current prevention, intervention, and treatment strategies to reduce participation and involvement in violent crime, illegal gang, and drug activities in the Southwest Seattle Weed and Seed site, which includes the White Center and South Delridge neighborhoods.

DFC strategies are to lower substance abuse among youth by promoting community factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse and reduce harmful neighborhood risk factors. Project goals include changing community norms that tolerate substance abuse, decreasing the availability of drugs and increasing community involvement and cohesion.

The grant allocates funding to youth development and family support programs. It will also support a range of activities, including a multi-lingual public education/awareness campaign, an anti-drug youth poster contest, and community building events. Another strategy is to enhance communication between the community and law enforcement to reduce the amount of open-air drug dealing.

For more information about Drug Free Communities please contact Karen Greene, DFC Program Coordinator.

Operation Storefront Project
This was a project done in the spring of 2003 by youth in different neighborhoods to measure the number of alcohol and tobacco signs on both the exterior and interior of retailers in their neighborhood. The study was done in Duvall, White Center, Rainier Valley, Bellevue and Shoreline. Click here to read the results.