Stand Up Laconia applies for NH Drug Free Communities grant

By ALANA PERSSON, LACONIA DAILY SUN

LACONIA — A common critique of the grassroots coalition Stand Up Laconia is that it is unclear what actions the drug abuse prevention group is taking to make a long-term impact on the community. Aware that its events and information sessions can make only so much of a difference in the city, the group is now working on applying for the New Hampshire Drug Free Communities grant, which will provide the organization with $125,000 per year for a period of five years that can be put toward personnel and infrastructure for the business. The money awarded will not go toward initiatives within the city, but will act more like a "start-up loan" for the coalition.

With the drug epidemic increasing over the past three decades, the federal government started a program through the Office of National Drug Control Policy in 1997 that annually gives money to local communities across the nation that are struggling with substance misuse issues. The idea behind providing roughly 180 communities with this grant each year is to enable local organizations to find local solutions for effective drug and alcohol prevention. With the need for funding in the area of substance abuse increasing each year nationally, it is highly competitive for communities to receive this grant. Thus, Stand Up Laconia is presently working with expert Richard Frost of the National Guard Counterdrug Task Force Civil Operations, to find out how to best stand out as a coalition when applying for this national grant.

Last week, a meeting was held that evaluated the various aspects of the grant and the requirements that must be met. Stand Up Laconia will be expected to show an outline of plans that pinpoint the areas in which the community is struggling, and include a structured analysis of how the community is addressing these issues already without any financial support. Through various forms of representation such as logic models, public surveys and general knowledge from all sectors of the community, the group hopes show the grant board that Laconia does have a need for money and that Stand Up Laconia is organized enough to effectively put the money to good use.

"Having worked with Stand Up Laconia for the past four years, I have seen first hand what the coalition has been able to achieve with no funding, and this will get you points on the grant," said Frost. "I understand what the grant evaluators are looking for and think that Stand Up Laconia stands a pretty good chance of receiving the grant with what it has been doing"

With years of work already put into education and prevention around substance misuse, Stand Up Laconia chairman Clare Persson has often been asked why a grant has not been pursued before, but she said it was for good reason that they held off.

"We didn't go for the DFC grant because traditionally it focuses just on prevention, but with Stand Up Laconia we identified early we are interested in looking at all four pillars – which are prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery," said Persson.

She said that up until recently the state was not putting the needed money toward treatment and recovery. Now that there is money being given for treatment and recovery, Stand Up Laconia wants to be sure that prevention and intervention are not forgotten. Thus, applying for the grant can help ensure that all four pillars are being supported by various different organizations and sectors.

With the grant money, there will be able to hire a full-time paid coordinator to oversee the coalition, fully dedicating their time on expanding the work that is already being done on a volunteer basis. With the funding for a paid position there will be increased networking and coordinator opportunities that can strengthen the overall impact the coalition can have on the community, said Persson. Awareness and participation from all areas of the community is essential for prevention to be effective, she said, as going forward the grant requires at least one parent, youth, business, media, school, youth-service organization, law enforcement, religious or fraternal organization, civic or volunteer group, health care professional, state/local/tribal government agency with expertise in the field of substance misuse, and other organizations involved in reducing substance misuse, to be a part of the Stand Up Laconia board. Maintaining this diversity within the coalition can ensure that all people are being represented and all substance misuse-related issues are addressed.

The coalition is always looking for new members who can contribute to the conversation and help with events that are presently happening within the community. The grant application will not be submitted until March of 2017 and, if chosen, Stand Up Laconia would be notified about receiving the money in October of 2017. In the meantime, the coalition is creating a business model that they hope will receive financial backing from businesses in Laconia to help spearhead initiatives before getting the money from the grant. Community members who have experience in business models and marketing are encouraged to attend an upcoming Stand Up Laconia meeting to find out how to become involved with the organization. Meetings are held the fourth Thursday of every month at 5:30 p.m. with locations varying by month. For more information or to learn how to get involved, visit www.standuplaconia.com or email perssonclare@gmail.com.