OVC FY 2023 Supporting Children, Youth, and Families Affected by the Drug Crisis: Recruiting and Developing Peer Recovery Coaches

OJP is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and racial equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety and protects the public from crime and evolving threats, and builds trust between law enforcement and the community. With this solicitation, OVC seeks to fund one lead organization that will (1) competitively select and fund subawards to recruit, train, and deploy paid peer recovery coaches who will assist a family member or caregiver’s recovery from substance misuse in order to support the well-being of youth who have experienced victimization as a result of the drug use; (2) provide technical assistance to the selected subawardees; and (3) assist in the development of a peer recovery coach paraprofessional program. By promoting recovery through a peer recovery coaching model, this program will support children, youth, and families, including kinship families and grandfamilies, who have been victimized by neglect, abuse, or violence because of a family member or caregiver's drug use. For this program, the following definitions apply: Drug or substance use or misuse refers to a person misusing a legal substance in a way other than intended or prescribed or using an illegal or controlled substance. Peer recovery coach refers to a person who brings the lived experience of recovery, combined with training and supervision, to assist others in initiating and maintaining recovery, helping to enhance the quality of personal and family life in long-term recovery and reducing the amount of abuse and neglect on children, youth, and families affected by the drug crisis. Peer recovery coaches provide many different types of support, including emotional, informational, instrumental, and affiliational (connections to recovery community supports, activities, and events) support. (See the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) webpage on Peer Support Workers and Peer Recovery Center of Excellence.)