Saturday, November 23, 2024
11/23/2024
Project Abstract Summary (Community Overview) Lyme and Old Lyme are two small shoreline towns located in New London County in the State of Connecticut. With a combined population of just under 10,000 and 55 square miles, these two communities, although having independent governing systems, share one school district (Regional District 18) and one youth service bureau. Both towns host a number of small service businesses and a growing number of high technology companies. They have become a ‘bedroom community’ for people who work in New London, Groton, New Haven, Hartford, and even outside Connecticut. Many residents work at General Dynamics Electric Boat, Pfizer, and businesses associated with the U.S. Navy. In addition, the 14 weeks of summer bring seasonal residents and visitors that more than double our year-round population. The towns have beautiful beaches on Long Island Sound and have several smaller parks and boat landings on the Connecticut River and tidal estuaries. Resident demographics for Old Lyme include 97.37% White, 0.26% African American, 0.28% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race are 0.95% of the population. The median age is 52 years old and of the 3,215 households, 30.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them. The median income for a household in the town is $95,175 and 2.7% of the population is below the poverty line. For Lyme, demographics include 96.5% White, 0.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.7% other races or from two or more races and 1.7% Hispanic or Latino. The median age is 55 years old and of the 1,093 households, 26.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them. The median income for a household in the town is $84,922 and 2.2% of the population is living below the poverty line. Region 18 School District currently has 1,263 children from the towns of Old Lyme and Lyme enrolled and consists of one preschool center, two elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Of the students in the district, 8.8% qualify for free or reduced lunch. Perhaps because of our community’s middle to upper middle class residents, the population increase of the summer and our geographic location, the Lyme’s have experienced their share of problems related to substances. Lyme and Old Lyme (LOL) youth find it easy to access alcohol and other drugs. The Lyme’s location on I-95 between New York and Boston, a major drug trafficking route, and Route 9 that leads to Hartford, provide plenty of pathways for drugs to come into the community. Summer residents come in with their “getaway and party attitudes”, and drug supplies increase exponentially. Current community norms often enable or encourage youth misuse of substances. Many adults in town still view substance use, specifically use of alcohol and marijuana as ‘rites of passage’ and ‘normal teenage behavior’ and are accepted without consequences. Youth report getting alcohol from their homes both with and without parent permission, and at party’s with adults present. Adults are not modeling appropriate drinking behavior when they can’t attend parties or gatherings without alcohol, sometimes leaving these events and coming back with their own alcohol. A substantial number of LOL youth report their families do not have clear rules against alcohol and marijuana use and perception of harm for these substances is low. Schools report increases in substance misuse related incidents among students. Lyme and Old Lyme residents take pride in being a small, close knit community. Despite challenges posed by youth substance misuse, a group of passionate community members and leaders have embraced comprehensive community assessment practices and evidence-based approaches to address the community’s root causes of substance misuse while promoting our strengths to make positive changes in the fabric of the Lyme’
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).
