Wethersfield Drug Free Communities Grant to support the Wethersfield Partners Encouraging Substance-use Awareness Coalition. - The Town of Wethersfield is 12 square miles, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, immediately south of Hartford along the Connecticut River. With a population of 26,800, residents are offered a dense suburban feel with many locally owned restaurants, coffee shops and parks. Wethersfield is an ideal town to live in due to easy access to Interstate 91, a highly rated public school system, many young professionals and retirees among the residents, and the home to a neighborhood known as Old Wethersfield. Old Wethersfield is the State's largest historic district, which brings history and tourists into the area. Wethersfield is also known for drawing in large crowds for their community events, such as the Cove Park Fireworks, the Wethersfield Farmers Market, the Wethersfield Cornfest, Scarecrows Along Main Street, the Cove Side Carnival and Holidays on Main. Of the residents, 79.2% identify as White, 4.3% Black, 4.5% Asian, .04% Native American, 2.2% Multi-race and 9.8% Hispanic and have a total of 10,778 households. There are currently 2,144 residents per square mile and the household median income of $81,452. In regards to age, the town population has 20% over the age of 65, 30% between the ages 45-64, 22% between the ages 25-44, 12% between the ages 15-24, 10% between the ages 2-14 and 5% under the age of 4 years old. Forty-six percent of the residents have an Associate’s Degree or higher, there is a poverty rate of 5.3%, compared to the State’s average of 10.1% and an unemployment rate of 3.6%, compared to the State’s at 4.1%. The Town of Wethersfield is fully operational with a Council/Manager form of government in which the Town Council sets policy and programs for the community. It consists of nine members, who serve two-year terms, and the Town Manager is a paid administrator who helps implement the policies set by the council. The Town has its own police department, that includes a Marine Patrol Unit, a Special Response Dive Team, a Special Response Tactics Team, a DARE youth drug awareness program, and a Police Explorer program. In regards to transportation, Wethersfield is served by 6 routes along the Greater Hartford’s major system, the Connecticut Transit, that provides residents with easy access to the neighboring cities. Wethersfield is also home to the Connecticut Department of Correction, the Department of Motor Vehicle’s headquarters and due to its proximity to Hartford, the home the Department of Labor, Superior Court Operations and Child Support Services. There are currently 3,620 students enrolled in the Wethersfield Public School System with one high school, one middle school, and five elementary schools. Wethersfield also offers several parochial and magnet school choices. Wethersfield has a rate of chronic absenteeism of 4% compared to the State average of 10.7% and has a 4.2% rate of disengaged youth, compared to the State at 9.8%. Given the history and strong foundation of the community, citizens of Wethersfield have felt honored to have a substance abuse prevention coalition, Wethersfield Partners Encouraging Substance-use Awareness (WePESA), that has been active for over 20 years and maintains strong community partners and supporters. WePESA has overseen and implemented various programs and initiatives to support youth development and substance use prevention. However, WePESA has identified a gap related to strategic and data-driven approaches to address substance use, risk factors and consequences. In addition, there are still high levels of youth alcohol and marijuana use. With support from Drug Free Communities funding, WePESA will utilize data and partnerships to strategically coordinate evidence-based prevention efforts. The goal is to create an infrastructure, utilizing the Strategic Prevention Framework, to reduce youth alcohol and drug use and create a safe and healthy community for years to come.
