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Committee restores $20,000 for Norwalk Partnership’s prevention work
Summary
The committee authorized a $20,000 agreement with Positive Directions to serve as fiduciary for the Norwalk Partnership, a coalition that runs youth surveys and prevention programs; leaders warned federal grant funding that supports much of current work will end and urged sustained local support.
The Community Service Committee voted March 25 to authorize the mayor to execute agreements with Positive Directions to provide $20,000 to the Norwalk Partnership, a citywide prevention coalition that coordinates substance-use and mental-health prevention efforts for young people.
Margaret Watt, prevention director at Positive Directions, told the committee the Norwalk Partnership (TNP) comprises dozens of organizations and volunteers; the partnership administers a biannual youth survey that sampled about 4,000 students in grades 7–12 in the fall of 2024 and uses the data to shape school- and community-level interventions. “That survey data is valuable to everyone,” Watt said, adding the coalition leverages the survey to win grants and design programming.
Funding context: Watt said the partnership’s current braided funding totals about $159,000 per year, including a Centers for Disease Control Drug-Free Communities federal grant that supplies about $125,000 of that total and will not continue past its 10-year limit. State prevention funds are about $14,000 a year. Watt said the city’s $20,000 is flexible local funding that helps the coalition fill gaps federal/state grants do not cover.
Why it matters: Council members praised the partnership’s data-driven approach and expressed support for continuing the work, while staff and the speaker flagged that the large federal grant will sunset and local funding decisions will grow in importance.
Vote and follow up: The committee approved the authorization unanimously. Watt asked council members to consider the coalition’s funding horizon and future city contributions once the federal grant expires; staff did not set a specific follow-up date in the meeting.
