Washington, DC—The District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Health is soliciting applications for substance use provider grants to support the implementation of the Adult Substance Abuse Rehabilitative Services (ASARS) Program.  The purpose of this funding is to provide infrastructure development assistance to substance use disorder providers certified by the Department.  Available funds will be used to hire additional licensed professionals to provide clinical coordination as required in the new regulations for substance use disorder treatment and recovery services and to purchase equipment.  The grant awards are intended to benefit consumers who need substance use disorder and recovery services. 

The Notice of Funding Availability can be found at http://www.dcregs.dc.gov/Gateway/NoticeHome.aspx?noticeid=5595850

The Request for Applications (RFA) will be released August 14, 2015. The deadline for submitting an application is August 28, 2015 at 4:45 pm ET.  Once released, the RFA will be posted at www.dbh.dc.gov under Opportunities and on the website of the Office of Partnerships and Grants, www.opgs.dc.gov under the District Grants Clearinghouse.  It also will be sent directly to all certified substance use disorder treatment and recovery providers by confirmed e-mail or confirmed fax.  In addition, the RFA can be obtained at the Department of Behavioral Health at 64 New York Avenue, NE, 3^rd Floor, from 8:15 am to 4:45 pm by contacting Marquitta Duvernay at [email protected].

To be eligible, an applicant must:

1.  Be a DBH-certified program providing substance use disorder treatment and recovery services;   
2. Agree to hire at least one qualified practitioner to provide clinical care coordination services by November 15, 2015;  
3. Agree to participate in DBH-mandated ASARS training;
4. Enter into a Grant Agreement with DBH and comply with Agreement requirements and conditions including the timetable for hiring at least one additional qualified practitioner, participation in required training, and submission of a certification application under Chapter 63 for the Level of Care(s) to be delivered by your agency/organization within 60 days of receipt of grant funds, and
5. Have a Human Care Agreement with DBH for the provision of substance use disorder treatment and recovery services.

A pre-application conference will be held at 2:00 pm, Monday, August 17, 2015, at the Department of Behavioral Health, in Room 242, 64 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC.    For more information, please contact Marquitta Duvernay at [email protected].

The grant period is one year from the date of award.  Grant recipients will be expected to begin start-up activities by November 15, 2015.

 Approximately $1,350,000 is available to award a maximum of twenty-seven grants, not to exceed $50,000 per grant.  Grants will be awarded with local funds through the Department of Behavioral Health.