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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2001.09.06 - 26682MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION #01233 September 6, 2001 BY: Public Services Committee, David L. Moffitt, Chairperson IN RE: SHERIFF DEPARTMENT - USE OF FORFEITED FUNDS TO PROVIDE FUNDING ASSISTANCE TO THE OAKLAND COUNTY OFFICE OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen: WHEREAS Section 333.7524 of Public Act 368 of 1978 authorizes courts to distribute property and funds forfeited through narcotic seizures to participating agencies to be utilized toward the enhancement of law enforcement efforts related to the Controlled Substances Act; and WHEREAS the courts have distributed $987,571 (balance as of 7/31/01) as a result of Sheriff Department forfeiture efforts; and WHEREAS the Oakland County Office of Substance Abuse has made a request of the Sheriff's Office, on behalf of all 19 community coalitions currently operating in Oakland County, for funding assistance involving drug awareness education (see attached written request); and WHEREAS upon review of this funding request the Oakland County Corporation Counsel has determined that it is within the legal guidelines for the use of forfeited funds and also will have County- wide application; and WHEREAS the Oakland County Sheriff is requesting that a one time disbursement of these funds ($55,000) be used to support substance abuse prevention training for the 19 Oakland County community coalitions, by funding attendance of two representatives from each coalition and one representative of the Oakland County Office of Substance Abuse to the December 2001 conference of the Community Anti- Drug Coalitions of America in Washington, DC, and also by funding a subsequent training of coalition members throughout Oakland County where the information and strategies learned at the national conference can be presented; and WHEREAS this financial support to all community coalitions currently operating within Oakland County will enhance law enforcement efforts pertaining to curbing illegal drug use. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners authorizes the transfer of $55,000 from funds currently deposited in the Sheriff's forfeiture account to the Office of Substance Abuse to support the drug awareness education efforts of all 19 community coalitions currently operating in Oakland County, through the Oakland County Office of Substance Abuse. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners authorizes an additional $10,000 expenditure from contingency to provide a total of $65,000 to the Office of Substance Abuse. Chairperson, on behalf of the Public Services Committee, I move the adoption of the foregoing resolution. PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE Public Services Committee Vote: Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote Oakland County Health Division/Office of Substance Abuse Services Proposal to the Oakland County Sheriffs Office August 2, 2001 SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION and DRUG AWARENESS EDUCATION THROUGH COMMUNITY COALITIONS In 1996, a Community Health Assessment Survey conducted by Healthy People, Healthy Oakland (HPHO), an initiative developed and implemented through the Oakland County Health Division, confirmed alarming misuse of alcohol and tobacco in the county, and indicated that alcohol and other drug use was the number one health concern of county residents. Surveys of Oakland County middle and high school students consistently show higher percentages of drug and alcohol use than national averages. Volunteer-based community prevention coalitions that bring together all major sectors of the community to collaborate in the development and implementation of strategies designed to reduce demand for alcohol, tobacco and other drugs have been recognized at the national level as one of the most effective means of preventing substance abuse. The Oakland County Health Division Community Coalition Program, developed in 1997, was implemented through its Office of Substance Abuse Services (OSAS) in response to the 1996 Community Health Assessment Survey. This program provides seed money, training, and technical assistance to assist county communities in the development of volunteer-based community substance abuse prevention coalitions. Coalition membership includes representation from multiple major sectors of the community such as county commissioners, mayors and other city officials, police chiefs, public service directors, judges, church leaders, parents, school administrators, youth, business and media representatives, social service agency and community service organization representatives. Next year funded coalitions will be working closely with law enforcement in the area of reducing drinking/drugging and driving, selling alcohol and tobacco to minors, and promoting drug awareness education. The coalitions have promoted intergovernmental cooperation and coordination in addressing the shared problem of substance abuse by bringing together local and county officials at coalition meetings, and providing a forum for discussion between government officials and community residents. This has resulted in a greater understanding of local norms, policies, and laws, which lead to more consistent community-wide policies, as well as support for better enforcement of existing laws and policies. The level of citizen participation in these coalitions has also increased as they learn more about community issues and concerns and the laws and policies addressing them, and get to know those responsible for creating and enforcing them. In a number of cases, coalition activities have resulted in the changing of community norms, attitudes, and policies regarding the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Participation of community decision-makers in coalitions also creates an environment for increased collaboration between communities. In 1996, there were 6 active community prevention coalitions representing 8 Oakland County communities. In FY 00/01, we are pleased to report that as a result of our initiative all of the County, with exception of eight communities (Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, West Bloomfield, Sylvan Lake, Orchard Lake, Lake Angelus, and Madison Heights), is covered by 19 active coalitions. (See Attached Map) Of these 19 coalitions, the Office of Substance Abuse Services funds 14 coalitions, I coalition is federally funded, and 4 of the coalitions, although self-supporting, survive on very limited budgets. In FY 2002 OSAS hopes to fund at least 2 additional coalitions. The 19 coalitions and the 41 communities they represent are as follows (* indicates County funding through the Office of Substance Abuse Services): Birmingham Community Coalition (Birmingham, Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Franklin) Brandon Youth Coalition (Brandon)* Clarkston Community Coalition for Youth (Clarkston, Independence)* Clawson Community Coalition (Clawson) Farmington/Farmington Hills Call to Action Coalition (Farmington, Farmington Hills) Greater Pontiac Community Coalition (Pontiac)* Holly Area Youth Coalition (Holly, Groveland, Rose, Springfield)* Huron Valley Communities in Action (Highland, White Lake, Milford,)* Lakes Area Community Coalition (Walled Lake, Wixom, Commerce)* Lyon Area Community Counts (South Lyon)* Novi Community That Cares Coalition (Novi)* Orion/Oxford Community Coalition (Orion, Oxford, Addison)* Rochester/Auburn Hills Community Coalition (Rochester, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Oakland)* Royal Oak Prevention Coalition (Royal Oak)* Southeast Oakland Coalition (Ferndale, Hazel Park, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak Township)* Southfield Community Coalition for Prevention of Substance Abuse and Violence (Southfield, Lathrup Village)* Tr-Community Coalition (Berkley, Huntington Woods, Oak Park)* Troy Community Coalition (Troy) Waterford Coalition for Youth (Waterford) Funding Requested: 565,000 Funds will be used to support training and education for the 19 Oakland County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalitions in the areas of community coalition building and substance abuse prevention strategies. This will be accomplished through two activities using the Train the Trainer model. The first will be to fund 2 members from each coalition to attend the CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) National Leadership Forum XI in Washington D.C. in December 2001 ($55,000). The second will be to fund an all day training for approximately 200 coalition members where the new information and strategies learned at the National Forum can be presented at a structured Local Leadership Forum/Summit (S10,000). CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) is a national organization whose mission is "to create and strengthen the capacity of new and existing coalitions to build safe, healthy and drug- free communities". Each year CADCA sponsors a National Leadership Forum where grassroots and professional community coalition leaders gather to network and learn about the most innovative programs, products and services working to reduce, prevent, and treat drug use in communities around the country. The focus is to keep the issue of substance abuse on the national and local agenda and educate and engage local citizens and organizations to become more involved in the drug prevention and treatment movement. Participants are inspired and motivated to be catalysts for change so that coalitions can build safe and healthy communities, free of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse. Goals of the CADCA National Leadership Forum are to: Offer technical assistance and training that introduces innovation in prevention. Provide opportunities for planning, networking and collaboration. Provide coalition leaders access to policy makers to advocate change Recognize and reward volunteers' work in community coalitions Facilitate a national dialogue on how to advance the field Motivate coalition leaders to help them transform their communities. Because of their limited funding, most of the Oakland County coalitions have not been able to benefit from sending representatives to the CADCA Forum. County substance abuse funding through OSAS is intended to be seed money to enable coalitions to develop a strong basic structure and presence in their communities and ultimately to become self-supporting. Funds are primarily used to support a part-time Community Organizer within each coalition. OSAS staff provides leadership, training, support, and ongoing technical assistance as well as facilitates monthly Community Organizer meetings, where information and resources can be shared and collaboration between communities fostered. Funding from your office will permit two members of each coalition as well as one of OSAS's prevention staff to attend this important leadership training. It will also provide the funding necessary to put on a large one-day training for an unlimited number of members from all the coalitions. The local training, organized and facilitated by OSAS staff with the assistance of coalition representatives, will provide an opportunity for those who attend the CADCA Forum to share information and skills gained from the many workshops as well as insights gained from other participants (over 1,000 in 2000) from across the county. Although the effectiveness of a community coalition approach in the prevention of substance abuse has been widely acknowledged, Oakland County is the only county in Michigan to set aside funding to assist in the development of such coalitions. We hope that by funding this proposal, the Prosecutor's office will join with us in supporting this cutting edge approach to substance abuse prevention. Empowering coalitions to bring together diverse sectors of the community, to provide opportunities for knowledge and skill development, and to become strong self-supporting, volunteer- driven organizations committed to reducing the misuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in their communities, remains our goal. Budget: $65,000 This proposal represents an $11,000 increase over a similar proposal funded by the prosecutor's office last year. There is a $7,000 increase to support the attendance of 4 additional individuals at the CADCA National Leadership Forum from the two new coalitions we hope to fund next year. There is also a $4,000 increase to support a second Community Coalition Leadership Summit, because we believe, following the success of last year's Summit that an even greater number of people will attend. Based on a preliminary commitment from the Sheriffs Department for $55,000 there will still be a $10,000 deficit. On behalf of the 19 and soon to be 21 substance abuse prevention coalitions and the communities they represent, we urge your positive consideration of this request. Submitted By: Sandra Kosik, RN, MPH Chief, Office of Substance Abuse Oakland County Health Division Resolution #01233 September 6, 2001 The Chairperson referred the resolution to the Finance Committee. There were no objections.