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History of ALERT PartnershipALERT was formed in 1987 to
coordinate and fund prevention services. Located in Allentown, PA, the
coalition serves Lehigh and Northampton counties. ALERT has provided almost $200,000 in "Prevention Inventions" seed moneys to over 200 organizations throughout the Lehigh Valley. These projects, planned in partnership with the community, educate children about substance abuse, provide positive activities for youth, and address issues related to substance abuse through strengthening neighborhoods. Neighborhood projects that are resident-driven are helping to build a renewed community spirit and sense of safety throughout the Lehigh Valley. The Lehigh Valley Partnership revitalization plan identifies distressed center-city neighborhoods in the Lehigh Valley as a concern to the quality of life and economic growth for the entire region. Urban problems will become suburban problems. The Lehigh Valley Partnership plan recommends citizen involvement in public safety and community policing. ALERT Partnership has been named as part of the solution because ALERT Partnership is helping to strengthen neighborhoods. Substance abuse and associated issues know no racial, ethnic, economic, social, or religious boundaries. Although ALERT has focused its limited resources, to a large extent, on urban neighborhoods, technical assistance is available to any group of non-urban residents interested in strengthening their neighborhood. The following examples of ALERT's work illustrate how ALERT partners effectively to improve the quality of life in the Lehigh Valley: In Allentown, ALERT led the Integrated Drug Enforcement Assistance initiative. ALERT, in partnership with the Lehigh County Task Force on Youth Crime and Violence, developed Operation Nite Lights, pairing juvenile probation with police officers to monitor youth on probation. ALERT provided technical assistance to the Allentown School District to develop a School Resource Officer initiative as part of the solution to prevent violence. ALERT partnered with the Alliance for Building Communities to strengthen neighborhood resistance in the first and sixth wards to substance abuse and related issues. In Bethlehem, ALERT collaborated with the City of Bethlehem's Strategic Neighborhood Action Plan (SNAP). This initiative involves a real partnership among city government, city services, police and residents to define neighborhood problems and address them with immediate results. ALERT has mobilized a collaboration among the city, Bethlehem Area School District's Family Centers and residents to implement the Communities That Care comprehensive service delivery plan to prevent youth violence and substance abuse. In Easton, ALERT continues a partnership with the city, police and residents that has helped to form over 200 block watches and that has led to the development of community policing. Funding support for ALERT Partnership has come from a variety of sources throughout the partnership's 21-year history. Program and funding partners have included: Community
Anti-Drug Coalition of America • 2008 ALERT Partnership |