Sussex County Alliance Needs Assessment

Municipal Alliances are community-based volunteer committees, which were established in 1990 in each municipality to address each community’s unique substance abuse prevention needs for all age groups.

The Sussex County Department of Human Services receives a grant from the NJ Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (GCADA) to fund community programs which educate for the prevention of alcohol, tobacco or other drug use. This is referred to as the Municipal Alliance Program. Municipal Alliances are community-based volunteer committees, which were established in 1990 in each municipality to address each community’s unique substance abuse prevention needs for all age groups.

Sussex County Alliance programs are coordinated and networked through the Department of Human Services - the Division of Community and Youth Services and the Alcohol and Substance Abuse - Local Advisory Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (LACADA) and County Alliance Steering Subcommittee (CASS).

In Sussex County there are 12 Municipal Alliances representing all 24 towns. The Sussex County Alliance, which is separate from each of the Municipal Alliances, provides support to the local Municipal Alliances and oversees their activities. The Alliance programs are provided assistance through the D.E.D.R. (Drug Enforcement Demand Reduction) funds. These are fines collected from persons convicted of a drug related offense. Each Alliance must undertake matching its grant with 25% cash and 75% in-kind funds. These funds are distributed to the 12 Municipal Alliances.

The role of the Municipal Alliances is to develop and provide prevention education programs, which meet their community’s needs. Municipal Alliances are mandated to do a needs assessment every three to four years, which consists of a three-step process of approximately two hours each for their community during the months of January through February. Due to the short time restraint and to help the 12 alliances with this process, a County staff employee from the Division of Community and Youth Services was assigned to facilitate each Alliance. This May and June the Municipal Alliances shall plan for their next application 2009-2011 cycle for substance abuse prevention education programs.

If you would like to get involved with a Municipal Alliance to participate in the prevention of alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse, contact your County Alliance coordinator. Volunteers are needed in every community.

For more information on the Municipal Alliance Program, please call the Sussex County Coordinator, Nick Loizzi at 973-940-5200, Ext. 1383 or send an e-mail to: municipalalliance@sussex.nj.us