Decatur Community Partnership
The Decatur Community Partnership (DCP) is a formal network of the major health, human service, law enforcement, local government, educators, youth, parents and media agencies in Decatur and Macon County. Serving Decatur/Macon County, a mid-size community of approximately 115,000, DCP collaborates with community organization leaders to effectively reduce substance abuse among youth and adults and to address the improvement of the overall health and quality of life factors of Decatur/Macon County Residents, identifying and addressing gaps in consumer service through an integrated service system that includes research of best practices and management team leadership working toward needed policy change, bringing more persons to self-sufficiency and/or independence. Since its initial beginnings, DCP has been the recipient of at least a dozen governmental and private foundation grants, bringing in several million dollars to the community. Numerous highly successful model projects and initiatives have been conducted including: Turning Point, Family Investment Project, Communities Can, Teen Reach, Youth Engagement Strategy (Y.E.S.) and Teen Court.
DCP was organized in the 1991 (under the name of Communities in Partnership) as a community-wide effort to combat youth drug use. These efforts continued with the name being changed to Decatur Community Partnership in 1996. DCP maintained a singular focus on prevention and reduction of youth substance abuse for over a decade. In our 2005 Drug Free Community application, DCP was the designated coalition. Since that program was successfully launched, DCP has broadened its scope, expanding into areas that are not directly tied to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD), while still focusing on the ATOD area. In 2006 DCP was one of three national grantees for a cancer clinical trial education program, and in 2007 it was awarded the Weed and Seed grant by the Department of Justice.
Drug Free Communities Support Grant
Since 2005, this project has centered around the theme of coalition building with the goal of reducing the rate of substance use and abuse by high school students and over time, among adults by addressing the factors in a community that increase the risk of substance abuse and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse. This project is implemented through a Drug-Free Community Coalition and partnerships with other area service providers. DCP continues to manage and staff the Drug Free Coalition, with DCP’s Executive Director serving as (DFC) Project Coordinator.
Visit the Decatur Drug Free Communities Coalition Page
Weed & Seed Project
In October 2007, The DCP board became the program administrator for a five year $1 million Federal Weed and Seed grant. The purpose of this grant is a two tiered process to first rid a targeted neighborhood of hard core criminal and drug activity through arrests and prosecutions. Secondly, human service agencies provide restoration to the area through the delivery of effective programs. DCP’s Executive Director oversees the Weed and Seed program.
Fiscal Agency
Richland Community College serves as the fiscal agent for DCP.