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 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 2012, the Drug Free Community Council recommended to the St. Joseph County Council the following organizations for funding.
- Alcohol and Addictions Resource Center (AARC)
- YWCA
- AIDS Ministries
- Hope Ministries
- Oaklawn
- Life Treatment Centers
- Mishawaka Police Department
- Healthy Communities Initiative
- Center for the Homeless
- Greater Holy Temple Church
- St. Joseph County Police
- St. Joseph County Drug Court
- Indiana State Police Alliance
- Indiana State Excise Police
