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Community Services Committee approves $20,000 for Norwalk Partnership prevention work
Summary
The committee voted unanimously to authorize a $20,000 city contribution to the Norwalk Local Prevention Council (operating as the Norwalk Partnership/Positive Directions) to support youth prevention, the biannual youth survey and coalition activities.
The Norwalk Common Council Community Services Committee unanimously approved funding of $20,000 on an annual basis to support the Norwalk Local Prevention Council (doing business as the Norwalk Partnership) at its February 2025 meeting.
"This item seeks approval for $20,000 which is the City of Norwalk's local contribution to support the Norwalk Local Prevention Council," Chief Daniels said while presenting the item on behalf of the Community Services Department. The motion was listed on the agenda as action item 5(a) and requests authorization for Mayor Harry W. Rilling to execute any and all agreements, documents, instruments or amendments as may be necessary with the local prevention council in the amount of $20,000 (agenda item 5a).
Margaret Watts, project director and prevention director at Positive Directions — the lead nonprofit for the Norwalk Partnership — described the coalition's work and how the city's funds are used. "Everything starts from our biannual youth survey," Watts said, noting the partnership surveyed nearly 4,000 seventh- through twelfth-grade students in the most recent cycle and uses that data to drive programming. Watts told the committee the partnership reaches school students directly, provides trainings, coordinates youth events (including teen nights out and a student-led awareness walk), runs awareness campaigns, supplies Naloxone (Narcan) distribution and organizes targeted support groups and summer programming.
Watts said the coalition assembles a patchwork of time-limited grants and local funds to cover activities and highlighted that the only guaranteed prevention funding from the state is the Local Prevention Council allocation ("under $9,000 a year," she said). She described the city's $20,000 as providing flexible local support for communications, data work, training, youth coalition activities and coordination.
Chief Daniels told the committee he has requested the item again in the city's fiscal 2026 budget process and asked members for continued support. Committee members asked questions about program attendance and impact; Watts said events vary in attendance but that some activities drew large sign-ups (one event had 187 sign-ups) and the coalition is considering a mix of smaller and larger events tailored to different students.
The committee called the question and the motion passed unanimously. The minutes record that Councilperson Heather Dunn joined the meeting at 7:31 p.m. during the item.
