U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma

The Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma (ReCAST) program works to assist high-risk youth and families and promote resilience and equity in communities that have recently faced civil unrest through implementation of evidence-based, violence prevention, and community youth engagement programs, as well as linkages to trauma-informed behavioral health services. The goal of the ReCAST Program is for local community entities to work together in ways that lead to improved behavioral health, empowered community residents, and reductions in trauma and sustained community change.

Civil unrest is defined as demonstrations of mass protest and mobilization, community harm, and disruption through violence often connected with law enforcement issues. Communities that have experienced civil unrest share similar characteristics:

• Barriers to access and lack of social services, health care, legal and political representation, housing, employment, and education
• Current and historic strains in community and public sector relationships (e.g., law enforcement, school, health, and/or housing and community relationships)
• Racial/ethnic minority and marginalized populations with experiences of poverty and inequality

SAMHSA expects the ReCAST Program to be guided by a community coalition of residents and community-based; nonprofit organizations in partnership with such entities as health and human services providers, schools, and institutions of higher education; faith-based organizations; businesses, state and local government entities, and law enforcement; and employment, housing, and transportation services agencies.

Program goals include the following:

• Building a foundation to promote well-being, resiliency, and community healing through community-based, participatory approaches
• Creating more equitable access to trauma-informed community behavioral health resources
• Strengthening the integration of behavioral health services and other community systems to address the social determinants of health, recognizing that factors, such as law enforcement practices, transportation, employment, and housing policies, can contribute to health outcomes
• Creating community change through community-based, participatory approaches that promote community and youth engagement, leadership development, improved governance, and capacity building
• Ensuring that program services are culturally specific and developmentally appropriate

Amount: A total of $2,500,000 is available to award up to two grants. Grants range up to $1,000,000 each per year for up to five years.

Eligibility: Local municipalities (e.g., counties, cities, and local governments) in partnership with community-based organizations that have faced civil unrest within the past 24 months.

Link: https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/sm-17-009

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