Drug Free Fund

As the Local Coordinating Council (LCC) for St. Joseph County, the DFCC facilitates the allocation of monies from the local Drug Free Fund, which is a fund made up of the receipts of fines and fees assessed in Superior Court criminal cases, for various drug and alcohol related offenses. The process utilizes a basic grant structure using a Request for Proposal (RFP) template. After proposals are completed and submitted to the DFCC, a committee of independent reviewers is appointed by the DFCC Executive Director to review and score the proposals. This committee is generally comprised of diverse individuals in the community with experience in grant writing and knowledge of the three areas of allocation: prevention, treatment and criminal justice.

The process concludes upon recommendations being brought to the Circuit Court Judge, the County Council and finally the County Commissioners for final approval. Protected by State Statute, these funds must be equally divided to fund local alcohol and other drug programs in the areas of prevention/education, treatment/intervention, and criminal justice.

In 2009, the Drug Free Community Council recommended to the St. Joseph County Council the following organizations for funding. These organizations were approved and received the appropriated grants.

  • Prevention
    • Alcohol and Addictions Resource Center (AARC), CARE Program - $4,000.00
    • Boys and Girls Club, SMART Moves - $9,000.00
    • Center for the Homeless, Launch Program for Young Adults - $5,000.00
    • Healthy Communities Initiative, All Stars Program - $10,000.00
    • Mishawaka Police Department, DARE Program - $3,000.00
    • St. Joseph County Police Department, DARE Program - $3,000.00
  • Criminal Justice
    • Indiana State Police, Patrol Canine Program - $3,600.00
    • South Bend Police Department, Metro Special Operations - $12,400
    • St, Joseph County Police Department, SUDS Taskforce - $4,550.00
    • St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office - $3,890.00
    • Court Substance Abuse Program, Drug Court - $9,565.00
  • Treatment
    • Alcohol and Addictions Resource Center (AARC), PEPP Program - $6,000.00
    • AIDS Ministries/AIDS Assist - $2,380.00
    • Hope Ministries, Hope for Recovery - $2,380.00
    • Life Treatment Center, Detoxification Program - $6,000.00
    • YWCA, Women’s Journey - $6,000.00
    • Court Substance Abuse Program, Drug Court - $11,240.00

Grants for 2010 are currently in the process of being approved and this list will be updated accordingly.