Mission Statement: Drug Free Johnson County (DFJC) is a volunteer organization dedicated to serving as a catalyst for preventing, treating and reducing the negative effects of substance abuse thereby enhancing the health and safety of our community.
History: Johnson County is located immediately south of Marion County in Central Indiana. Population is approximately 165,782 as of the 2022 census. The county seat is Franklin, with the largest city being Greenwood. Median income for Johnson County is $77,977. 92.8% of residents have completed high school. 32.8% have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. The Johnson County community is 86% Caucasian, 3.2% African-American, 4% Latino, and 5% Asian, and 1.8% other. (U.S. Census Bureau 2022).
In 1989 the Governors Commission for a Drug Free Indiana started the group Greater Greenwood Citizens Against Substance Abuse. In January 1993, Greater Greenwood Citizens Against Substance Abuse was changed to Johnson County Citizens Against Substance Abuse (JCCASA). JCCASA was re-organized and with the support of the Johnson County Commissioners and the Johnson County Council, gained advisory status over the allocation of the local Drug Free Communities Funds. In an effort to gain public awareness the name was updated in March 2011 to Drug Free Johnson County.
Drug Free Johnson County (DFJC) includes parents, community leaders, government officials, educators, law enforcement officials, religious leaders and health care professionals. Through the development of a Comprehensive Community Plan, which addresses prevention/education, treatment/intervention and justice/law enforcement issues in Johnson County, Drug Free Johnson County has become well known to state and local officials as the mechanism through which Drug Free Community Funds are distributed. The group has identified community needs and prioritized goals to address the effects of substance use, abuse and dependence in our community.
The comprehensive plan provides a history of Drug Free Johnson County (DFJC), a summary of its fiscal operations, a statement of how DFJC perceives the problem(s) that it seeks to address, membership information and a description of the monitoring role of Drug Free Johnson County (DFJC) regarding funded projects.
Monitoring Role: Drug Free Johnson County (DFJC) board/task force members prepare the Comprehensive Community Plan or an update each year. The Comprehensive Community Plan identifies and addresses the needs of the Johnson County community regarding prevention/education, treatment/intervention and justice/law enforcement issues pertaining to substance use, abuse and dependence.
The County Commissioners and Council entrust Drug Free Johnson County to screen applicants seeking monies from the local Drug Free Community Fund. Drug Free Johnson County staff track how the allocated funds are expended and DFJC’s executive committee conducts internal evaluations of DFJC activities and procedures. Agencies receiving DFJC funds present informational presentations at meetings. Follow up reports for projects funded are completed and submitted to DFJC for review to ensure that goals and objective are being met. In addition, grant procedures are reviewed and updated annually.
The Grants Committee issues a public announcement of the availability of funds, including a news release to local media. Announcements are made at Drug Free Johnson County (DFJC) meetings and past grant recipients are notified of the process and invited to apply.
After the deadline for proposals have passed, the Grants Committee reviews the applications. If any additional information is needed then a meeting is set up with the fund seeking agency for members of the Grants Committee to meet with them and get clarification of the proposal. After all prospective grantee applications have been reviewed, the committee evaluates each proposal as to how it fits into Drug Free Johnson County’s community objectives. The Grants Committee then recommends an award to each qualifying applicant based upon the quality of the proposal, how consistent the proposal is with Drug Free Johnson County community objectives, whether the applicant has met DFJC’s requirements in any past rewards, and the availability of funding.
Grants Committee recommendations are then considered by the DFJC Board of Directors for final approval. After approval of the Board of Directors, the approved grants are submitted to the Johnson County Commissioners for appropriation of funds. After funding recommendations are approved and funds are appropriated, recipients of grants receive notification of funding with a written contract to be executed and returned to Drug Free Johnson County. The local newspaper is also contacted to publicize the grants awarded.