Seaway Valley Council for Alcohol/Substance Prevention Inc. will receive $100,000 from the state to develop what the governor’s office describes as “non-traditional addiction treatment support.”

The funding is part of a statewide grant program to establishing community coalitions and funding peer engagement programs in 10 regions throughout the state, to serve as resources for community-based addiction and recovery services.

The initiative ensures that there are at least two peer engagement specialists available in each of the state’s 10 regions. Peer engagement specialists are people who are in recovery from a substance use disorder or have loved one in recovery – or have lost a loved one to addiction. The primary goal of the program is to help people and families in crisis navigate the treatment service-delivery system. Peers familiar with how to access services will be available to meet people in emergency rooms and crisis centers, to provide emotional support, as well as insights about the treatment process.

The community coalitions will be responsible for coordinating community resources to help address substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts that meet localized needs and foster cross-sector collaboration. These alliances will cross county lines and represent a diverse group of stakeholders, including people living in recovery and their families, educators, faith-based entities, and health and wellness providers, among others.

The funding for the initiatives was made available through a request for proposals.

New Yorkers struggling with an addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the state’s toll-free, 24-hour, 7-day-a-week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369).

Available addiction treatment including crisis/detox, inpatient, community residence, or outpatient care can be found using this new and improved NYS OASAS Treatment Availability Dashboard at FindAddictionTreatment.ny.gov or through https://www.oasas.ny.gov/treatment/index.cfm on the NYS OASAS website. Visit the #CombatAddiction website at oasas.ny.gov/CombatAddiction to learn more about how you can help to #CombatAddiction in your community.

Visit www.combatheroin.ny.gov for more information on addressing heroin and prescription opioid abuse, including a Kitchen Table Tool Kit to help start the conversation about the warning signs of addiction and where to get help. For tools to use in talking to a young person about preventing alcohol or drug use, visit http://talk2prevent.ny.gov/toolkit/conversation-starters.