Montgomery County organizations awarded $494K in state grants

HARRISBURG, June 8 – State Reps. Joe Ciresi, Liz Hanbidge and Joe Webster, all D-Montgomery, today announced that three local children and youth welfare organizations would be receiving $494,102 in state grants to support substance use treatment services and education programs and child abuse victims’ programs in Montgomery County from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

The state representatives all expressed how meaningful these funds would be in improving lives in vulnerable or critical situations in the county.

“There are many people who are struggling here in Montgomery County -- who desperately need assistance -- and thanks to this funding to these amazing organizations, will get the help they deserve,” Ciresi said. “No one is more vulnerable than a child, and so I am very glad that the Child Advocacy Center of Montgomery County has received $199,836 to expand its trauma therapy services and implement a new telehealth trauma therapy program to support underserved victims of child abuse in Montgomery County.”

“Addressing the root cause of substance abuse and trauma through comprehensive, evidence-based therapy results in more lives being restored and more success stories being written,” Hanbidge said. “These grant dollars will be earmarked toward ensuring those who need assistance are able to get the high-quality, timely help they deserve.”

“Direct investments in the mental, physical, and emotional health of our communities result in tremendous outcomes for those most in need,” Webster said. “These grant dollars will be utilized to directly fund these critical services and will have positive ripple effects for all who call Montgomery County home.”

The programs receiving the money and the amounts awarded:

The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth has been awarded $144,266 in funds to support its direct evidence-based substance use treatment services whose goal is to reduce substance use among youth in Montgomery County. The Lincoln Center will treat adolescents referred through school district and community-based provider partners, resulting in an increase in available services related to reducing substance use among youth and decreasing substance use in Montgomery County.

The Child Advocacy Center of Montgomery County was awarded two grants.

  • The first grant of $99,936 will be used to expand access to evidence-based trauma therapy services for underserved victims of child abuse in Montgomery County. This project will provide a dedicated Trauma Focused – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Therapist to provide services in the new satellite office located in Pottstown, which is Montgomery County’s most economically disadvantaged community. Although Pottstown represents just 2% of Montgomery County’s total population, it accounts for 15-20% of child abuse case referrals at the CAC.

  • The second grant of $99,900 will be used to develop and implement a new telehealth trauma therapy program for child victims of sexual abuse. With this project, the CAC will seek any additional telehealth training, formalize their telehealth procedures, provide TF-CBT via telehealth to clients both in Norriton as well as Pottstown, and collect data to ensure the efficacy of the telehealth program. Funding will be used for consultant costs associated with two Licensed Trauma Therapists.

The Family Services of Montgomery County has received $150,000 in funds to implement Motivational Interviewing for Substance Abuse in collaboration with the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, Adult Probation Department, and the Criminal Justice Advisory Board. The goal of this project is to assist high risk individuals with a history of Opioid Use Disorder/Substance Use Disorder to progress through the stages of change and move toward participation in treatment and recovery services as they transition back into the community from MCCF. Funds will support personnel, travel, training, evaluation services, and operating costs.