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National Non-Profit, Facing Addiction, selects Chicago as Pilot Community Project.

Project aims to address the public response to addiction through grassroots driven campaigns.

Facing Addiction announced today that Chicago has been selected as one of 15 communities to participate in the organization’s pilot community project. The project, first announced by Facing Addiction (www.FacingAddiction.org) in October 2015, will work to reform the public response to the addiction crisis in Chicago via a grassroots-driven campaign strategy. Specifically, Facing Addiction will work with Chicago and 14 other communities to:

• Secure increases in localized funding to adequately address the crisis
• Train advocates on proper organizational and advocacy techniques to reform their community’s response
• Invest time and resources in communication opportunities with elected officials and other policy makers
• Provide media guidance to garner press coverage to further highlight the solutions to the problem
• Develop political strategies and aid community stakeholders in the development of an overarching “campaign strategy”

“As addiction to alcohol and other drugs now impacts 1 in 3 households in America, we must urgently work to turn the tide on this health crisis. We received over 50 applications from communities across the country for this program,” said Greg Williams, Facing Addiction’s Co-Founder and Executive Vice President. “We are excited about the prospect of working to train, organize and mobilize citizens in Chicago to ensure a shift toward a public, health-centered response to those impacted by addiction.”

Another Chance Chicago submitted an application for Chicago. “I am extremely delighted and humbled at the thought that we were selected for Facing Addiction's Pilot Project, commented Founder Max Knighten, “I know that in the day and times we find ourselves in that substance use disorder and mental health diseases are ravishing so many of the communities in our land that it was an extremely difficult process deciding on where to focus first, and the outstanding citizens of Chicago are truly fortunate to be selected to receive the awesome efforts that Facing Addictions is pledging to provide. It is also the highest honor for me to be a part of this monumental opportunity to serve my country, city and its people. Thank you again for your selection, consideration, and attention, and May God continue to bless you, and may God Bless America..”

Facing Addiction is a national non-profit organization dedicated to unifying the voices of the more than 45 million Americans and their families directly impacted by addiction. Facing Addiction is bringing together the best resources in the field in order to reduce the human and social costs of addiction, every year, until this public health crisis is eliminated. The organization was launched in historic fashion on October 4th, 2015, in front of tens of thousands on the National Mall In Washington, D.C., at the UNITE to Face Addiction rally and concert, and recently was co-sponsor of the launch of the U.S. Surgeon General’s semi-annual report on the addiction crisis in America, in Los Angeles on November 17, 2016.

In addition to Chicago, the following communities have been selected to participate in Facing Addiction's Pilot Community Project:

Annapolis, MD - Baton Rouge, LA - Billings, MT - Boise, ID - Cumming, GA - Fitchburg, MA - Martinsburg & Berkeley Springs, WV - New Canaan, CT - Rochester, NY - Safford, AZ - San Diego, CA - Springfield, MO - West Bend, WI - West Linn, OR

Another Chance Chicago is a non-profit agency whose mission is to eliminate violence among youth in the community by providing Substance Use Disorder and MISA treatment counseling services for adolescents and their families.

Questions on the project can go to Facing Addiction’s National Director of Outreach & Engagement, Michael King, who can be reached at mking@facingaddiction.org.