Tuesday, May 13, 2025
5/13/2025
New Castle United for Youth (Formerly Coalition for Youth DFC Project) - New Castle's Coalition for Youth (CFY) Coalition serves the Town of New Castle and the Chappaqua Central School District and operates under the name New Castle United for Youth (NCUFY). The Town of New Castle is a municipality of 17,569 residents about 40 miles north of New York City (NYC) (US Census 2010). The Chappaqua Central School District has one high school (Horace Greeley) and two middle schools. A suburban community, there are several parks and many houses have basements and backyards, which allow teen alcohol and drug use to occur in relative privacy. The town is served by a highway and a train line providing easy access into NYC. The train station is located in the middle of the town, facilitating the flow of drugs and providing an opportunity for youth to take advantage of the numerous NYC clubs and "hookah” bars. New Castle is located within the boundaries of a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Many parents commute to NYC (average commute time exceeds 40 minutes one way) leaving houses unattended in the crucial after school hours when experimentation with drugs takes place. The ethnicity of the town is 88.3% White, 1.6% African American, 7.3% Asian, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) comprise 4.0% of the population. There are 4,931 families residing in the town. 48.2% have children under the age of 18. There is an equal number of females and males in the Town (50%/50%). Youth from birth to age 18 comprise 32% of the population. Local counselors estimate that about 10% of the youth are lesbian, bisexual, transgendered or questioning their sexual orientation. The religious makeup of the community is mixed including Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, and other faiths. Educational attainment is valued; 95% of residents have at least a high school degree. Per capita income may seem relatively high ($89,919), but this must be put into perspective. New Castle is located in Westchester County, ranked the 3rd most expensive place to live (Market Watch 2016). In some town zip codes, the cost of living index soars to 249.9, two and a half times the U.S. average. Research shows that youth from well-off communities are less likely to bond with their families and more likely to have the resources to purchase drugs. (Luthar, CASA Columbia). This is a high powered community that fosters a “pressure cooker” atmosphere, leading to a "work hard, party hard atmosphere”. Teens describe a culture where weekend parties are numerous and out of control, marijuana is easily available and frequently used, and people share their medications to study or “chill” after a tough week at school. By 12th grade, alcohol, marijuana and prescription drug use rates all exceed the national average. NCUFY is a project that began within CFY, a coalition started in August 2010 by a group of local clergy, town leaders, school personnel and parents. In 2015, members of CFY became concerned about local substance abuse issues and recognized the need for stronger action. In 2016, CFY leaders applied for and received a Drug Free Communities Grant, allowing us to learn about and use the Strategic Prevention Framework and evidence based approaches to substance abuse prevention. Since receiving the grant, NCUFY has focused on building coalition capacity and reducing youth substance use. DFC funding supports the community’s commitment to work collaboratively to take serious action to prevent and reduce youth substance use in the community.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).