In 2005, the Springfield City School District was awarded a grant through the Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative. The SS/HS Initiative is a Federal grant-making program designed to prevent violence and substance abuse among our Nation's youth, schools, and communities.

The Center for Healthy Communities is part of the team responsible for the evaluation of the Springfield SS/HS initiative. In addition to three Center staff members, the team also includes faculty from the Wright State University School of Professional Psychology and the Department of Social Work.

The goals of the initiative are to improve attendance, reduce violence, reduce alcohol, tobacco, and drug use, increase coordination of services, and increase community involvement in the schools. To date the evaluation data has shown that reported use of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use is decreasing among middle school students, and that these students feel safer in school. Referrals of school children for health and social services have increased through the program, and school-community connectors in the elementary schools have greatly facilitated community involvement in the schools.