§ 290bb–25a. Grants for strengthening families

(a) Program authorized

The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Prevention Center, may make grants to public and nonprofit private entities to develop and implement model substance abuse prevention programs to provide early intervention and substance abuse prevention services for individuals of high-risk families and the communities in which such individuals reside.

(b) Priority In awarding grants under subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary shall give priority to applicants that—

(1) have proven experience in preventing substance abuse by individuals of high-risk families and reducing substance abuse in communities of such individuals;

(2) have demonstrated the capacity to implement community-based partnership initiatives that are sensitive to the diverse backgrounds of individuals of high-risk families and the communities of such individuals;

(3) have experience in providing technical assistance to support substance abuse prevention programs that are community-based;

(4) have demonstrated the capacity to implement research-based substance abuse prevention strategies; and

(5) have implemented programs that involve families, residents, community agencies, and institutions in the implementation and design of such programs.

(c) Duration of grants

The Secretary shall award grants under subsection (a) of this section for a period not to exceed 5 years.

(d) Use of funds An applicant that is awarded a grant under subsection (a) of this section shall—

(1) in the first fiscal year that such funds are received under the grant, use such funds to develop a model substance abuse prevention program; and

(2) in the fiscal year following the first fiscal year that such funds are received, use such funds to implement the program developed under paragraph (1) to provide early intervention and substance abuse prevention services to—

(A) strengthen the environment of children of high risk families by targeting interventions at the families of such children and the communities in which such children reside;

(B) strengthen protective factors, such as—

(i) positive adult role models;

(ii) messages that oppose substance abuse;

(iii) community actions designed to reduce accessibility to and use of illegal substances; and

(iv) willingness of individuals of families in which substance abuse occurs to seek treatment for substance abuse;

(C) reduce family and community risks, such as family violence, alcohol or drug abuse, crime, and other behaviors that may effect healthy child development and increase the likelihood of substance abuse; and

(D) build collaborative and formal partnerships between community agencies, institutions, and businesses to ensure that comprehensive high quality services are provided, such as early childhood education, health care, family support programs, parent education programs, and home visits for infants.

(e) Application To be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a) of this section, an applicant shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an application that—

(1) describes a model substance abuse prevention program that such applicant will establish;

(2) describes the manner in which the services described in subsection (d)(2) of this section will be provided; and

(3) describe entity under subsection (a) of this section unless that entity agrees that, with respect to the costs to be incurred by the entity in carrying out the program for which the grant was awarded, the entity will make available non-Federal contributions in an amount that is not less than 40 percent of the amount provided under the grant.

(g) Report to Secretary

An applicant that is awarded a grant under subsection (a) of this section shall prepare and submit to the Secretary a report in such form and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including an assessment of the efficacy of the model substance abuse prevention program implemented by the applicant and the short, intermediate, and long term results of such program.

(h) Evaluations

The Secretary shall conduct evaluations, based in part on the reports submitted under subsection (g) of this section, to determine the effectiveness of the programs funded under subsection (a) of this section in reducing substance use in high-risk families and in making communities in which such families reside in stronger. The Secretary shall submit such evaluations to the appropriate committees of Congress.

(i) High-risk families

In this section, the term “high-risk family” means a family in which the individuals of such family are at a significant risk of using or abusing alcohol or any illegal substance.

(j) Authorization of appropriations

There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2002 and 2003.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title V, § 519A, as added Pub. L. 106–310, div. B, title XXXI, § 3108, Oct. 17, 2000, 114 Stat. 1180.)