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OnTrack gets $96,000 federal grant Parents struggling to raise healthy children despite the obstacles of poverty and addiction will get more help thanks to a $96,000 federal grant to a local drug treatment center. OnTrack Inc. of Medford is among three Oregon agencies awarded funds from the federal Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Announced last month, the $96,123 grant will pay initial costs for the Family Strengthening Project, a new program aimed at parents of children under age 12. "It's a nice chunk of change," said Linda Lewis, deputy director of OnTrack. "We're always pleasantly surprised when we get a federal grant." The program, scheduled to start in June, will provide counseling services and other support to parents of young children struggling to get off welfare and overcome drug addiction. "Many of them are single moms," said Lewis. "They may not have had good parenting models themselves to build on." Through the program, a family therapist and a family advocate will offer hands-on advice and guidance for troubled parents. Most clients will receive services for two to eight months, Lewis said. The new project in effect extends the services of the Healthy Baby program, which provides therapy and other support to pregnant women and infants. "We decided to focus on the younger families because you can get them before there's a lot to undo," said Lewis. The grant is part of some $36 million in funds from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration. Competition was fierce, Lewis noted, but grantors cited OnTrack's ties with other community agencies as an asset. "This community has the integrated service team and that was a strength they noted," said Lewis, adding that the team includes representatives from city, state, county and federal agencies. The awards are aimed at achieving President Clinton's goal of reducing illicit drug use by half in 10 years, said SAMHSA administrator Nelba Chavez, who announced the grants. "Our new continuing programs clearly support our commitment to achieving that goal by providing high quality, effective programs for diverse groups of people," Chavez said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA