Community Coalitions: A Brief History

The crack cocaine epidemic of the mid-1980s mobilized citizens across the country to come together to combat substance abuse in their communities. One of the earliest coalitions, which began in Miami, grew out of an informal meeting of business and professional leaders in April 1988. They were deeply concerned about Miami’s reputation as the nation’s  “cocaine capital.”  As Dr. Edward Foote, the founding chairman of the Coalition, noted, “We realized that solutions wouldn’t come from Washington. We needed to develop a long-term, comprehensive response that involved the entire community. We knew we couldn’t wait and hope someone else would do it for us.  We had to take ownership of the problem.”  Many communities had similar concerns and organized their own coalitions. In November 1990, the first national meeting of community coalitions in Washington, D.C., drew 450 people from 172 cities. With guidance and support from the President’s Drug Advisory Council, a new organization, the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), became the national public voice for these emerging coalitions.

From these grassroots beginnings, the anti-drug community coalition movement grew rapidly. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation provided funds to the Miami coalition as well as to CADCA for technical assistance. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation also provided early support in 1989 through a new initiative called Fighting Back. The program was designed to answer the question: Can communities substantially reduce the use of illegal drugs and alcohol by consolidating existing resources into a single community-wide system of prevention, treatment, and aftercare?[1]  In the first year, Fighting Back encouraged communities with populations of less than 250,000 to apply for planning grants. From this group, Fighting Back awarded five-year program grants to 14 cities. By 2001, total funding for this initiative reached $71 million.  At the same time, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded Join Together, a national organization to support community-based programs working toward reducing, preventing and treating substance abuse. Since 1991, Join Together, supported by $16 million from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has provided technical assistance including online help with strategy development, funding and operations for all coalitions nationwide.  In 1997, Join Together became the national program office for the seven remaining Fighting Back sites.   Not only did Fighting Back directly fund coalitions, its call for applicants also helped spark the movement.  Many of the original applicants that did not receive grants were able to find funding elsewhere, and these coalitions formed a strong foundation for the coalition movement.

The Federal government also provided substantial early support for community coalitions. Established in 1990, the Community Partnership Demonstration Grant Program, directed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), gave approximately $450 million to 251  community partnerships in 45 states and Puerto Rico. The main purpose of the program was to decrease substance abuse by improving conditions in the community environment. Congress did not renew the program when the authorization expired in 1996.

Recognizing the importance of coalitions in mobilizing communities to address alcohol and other drug use, Congressman Rob Portman (R-OH) sponsored new legislation to provide sustained Federal support for coalitions. A strong advocate of prevention, Congressman Portman started the Coalition for a Drug Free Greater Cincinnati in 1995, an umbrella organization to oversee anti-drug initiatives in  ten counties in three neighboring states (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana). Supported by effective lobbying efforts from CADCA and bipartisan support led by Congressman Sander Levin (D-MI), Congress adopted the Drug Free Communities Act of 1997, which provided support for local communities that demonstrated a comprehensive, long-term commitment to reduce substance abuse among young people.  Congress authorized $10 million in grants for fiscal year 1998. Within four years, Federal support had grown to $40 million (FY 2001) which was awarded to 300 grantees in 49 states. President Bush has requested a FY 2002 budget of $50.6 million for the Drug Free Communities Program.  Although these funds are directed to the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the White House, the program is administered by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the Department of Justice. To maintain the local focus of these efforts and ensure sustainability, coalitions are required to match 100 percent of their Federal grants from non-Federal funding sources. 

As of May 2001, the House and Senate were preparing similar legislation to reauthorize the Drug Free Communities Program for another five years and create a National Community Antidrug Coalition Institute, which would provide education, training, and technical assistance to coalitions, and help conduct evaluations.

ENDNOTES:

[1] .         P.S. Jellinek and R. P. Hearn.  “Fighting Drug Abuse at the Local Level.” Issues in Science and Technology, 7(4):78-84, 1991.



Introduction | Community Coalitions: A Brief History
A Word About Methodology | Recent Evaluations | A New Perspective
Elements of Effectiveness | Applying Key Elements | Future Directions
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions in Knight Communities | Sources




© Drug Strategies, 2001