From 1990 to 2001, Working Together-Fighting Back® attempted to reduce the demand for illegal drugs and alcohol in Ward 7 and the eastern part of Ward 6 of the District of Columbia.

The project, part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) national program Fighting Back: Community Initiatives to Reduce Demand for Illegal Drugs and Alcohol, used a comprehensive approach that combined prevention, treatment, aftercare, education, health care, vocational and employment training, and family and community support.

Key Results

• Implemented Project STAR, a substance abuse and life skills education program, in District of Columbia junior high schools.
• Established a community resource center, which housed:
  • Substance abuse counseling, assessment and treatment referral services.
  • Programs to promote self-sufficiency, improve family functioning and guarantee child safety (e.g., job and training services).
• Established the Providence Hospital/Marshall Heights Community Development Organization Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program.
• Established the Strengthening Families Program, a family-skills training program to prevent substance abuse.
• Established Project ASSERT, a program to train doctors and others how to identify and intervene with patients with alcohol and drug problems and other high-risk behaviors.

Funding
RWJF provided eight grants totaling $5,494,644 from March 1990 to January 2002.