Hope Alvidrez

Current YOR 4 grantee

Multi-Ethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies (MECCA)

YOR IV Project Name: Next Chapter for Youth OC: A Recovery Access Program (NC4YCO)

Project Description: MECCA’s Youth Opioid Response (YOR) Program supports young people ages 16–25 in Orange County (OC) with harm reduction tools, overdose prevention education, and pathways to treatment and recovery. The program provides free naloxone (Narcan), fentanyl and xylazine test strips, overdose reversal trainings for schools and youth organizations, and peer-led wellness groups. Participants can join the Youth Advisory Committee for leadership experience, stipends, and community engagement opportunities. MECCA partners with KCS Health Center to connect youth to counseling, psychiatry, care coordination, and medication-assisted treatment (MAT). Together, we work to reduce opioid-related harms and foster resilience among youth and young adults across Orange County.

Partner Agencies: OC Health Care Agency, OC Social Services Agency, OC Correctional Facilities, OC Sheriff’s Department, St. Jude Hospital, Hoag Hospital, OC Department of Education, Santa Ana School District, Orangewood Foundation, Young Lives Redeemed

Primary Contact:
Name: Bahar Nawabi
Position: Behavioral Health Program Manager
Email: bahar@ocmecca.org
Phone: 657-208-2302
Website: www.ocmecca.org

Current YOR 4 grantee

Merced County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services

YOR IV Project Name: NextGen Recovery

Project Description: The YOR SOAR Program Initiative in Merced County aims to support transitional-age youth (TAY, approximately ages 16‑25) who are at risk for or are experiencing opioid or stimulant use disorders.

Key components include:

* Low-barrier access to care, including outreach, prevention, early intervention, and harm reduction services.

*Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) and other evidence‑based treatment options when clinically appropriate.

* Recovery support and peer navigation—to help youth and their families navigate services, treatment, and transitions and

*Trauma-informed, culturally responsive care tailored to the unique needs of young adults, including those in underserved or marginalized communities.

The program helps reduce overdose risk, improve treatment access, and strengthen connections across mental health, substance use, and social supports for TAY in Merced County.

Partner Agencies: Merced Union High School District, Los Banos Unified School District

Primary Contact:
Name: Lidia Caza-Burdick, LCSW
Position: Division Director, SUD/CalWORKs
Email: lidia.caza-burdick@countyofmerced.com
Phone: 209-381-6800 ext. 6852
Website: www.countyofmerced.com

Current YOR 4 grantee

Janus of Santa Cruz

YOR IV Project Name: Janus of Santa Cruz TAY Opioid Response

Project Description: Janus is committed to expanding access to substance use treatment services for Transitional Age Youth (TAY) in Santa Cruz County through the Youth Opioid Response (YOR) initiative. Recognizing the unique needs of this population, Janus will leverage its existing model of care to create a comprehensive, youth-centered approach that integrates prevention, early intervention, and treatment services.

The proposal focuses on enhancing outreach, engagement, and tailored services that address the barriers TAY face in accessing care. Key strategies include expanding harm reduction services, increasing education and awareness about opioid use disorder (OUD), and providing low-threshold access points for treatment. Janus will offer culturally responsive, trauma-informed care that emphasizes individualized treatment plans, peer support, and family involvement.

In collaboration with community partners, Janus aims to strengthen referral pathways, improve coordination of care, and provide specialized training for staff to effectively engage and support TAY.

Partner Agencies: Co. Office of Education, Health Services Agency, Family and Children’s Services, Youth Action Network, PVPSA

Primary Contact:
Name: Amber Williams
Position: Chief Executive Officer
Email: awilliams@janussc.org
Phone: 831-278-7987
Website: www.janussc.org

Current YOR 4 grantee

Inner-Tribal Treatment

YOR IV Project Name: YOR Inner-Tribal Treatment

Project Description: Inner-Tribal Treatment (ITT) is a native led non-profit organization established in 2021, as a community-defined trauma-informed culturally tailored SUD program. ITT is a trailblazer making a positive impact for American Indian communities in Southern California. Integrating American Indian teachings, traditional medicine and evidence-based therapies and interventions for the treatment of substance use disorders (SUD). ITT is staffed by experienced certified and licensed professionals providing empathetic care, guidance, and encouragement. ITT is helping to address the historical and intergenerational trauma that is an underlying root contributor to substance abuse and dependency. Utilizing the SOR 4 funding, ITT will focus on developing targeted outreach and engagement strategies designed to reach high-risk youth, TAY, and young adults. Our outreach efforts will include tribal and non-tribal community events aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of opioid and stimulant misuse and promoting the availability of treatment, prevention and peer support services.

Moreover, ITT will collaborate with Indian Health Services Youth regional residential centers, tribal social servicecenters, local schools and tribal youth organizations to create a network of support and resources for at-riskyouth/TAY.

Our overall goal is to create a sustainable and effective system of care for youth/TAY that reduces opioid- and stimulant-related overdose deaths, improves access to treatment, reduce barriers, and supports the long-term recovery and wellness of our TAY community. By addressing the root causes of substance use disorders and providing culturally sensitive care, ITT aims to make a lasting impact on the health and well-being of the Native American community.

Partner Agencies: Indian Health Council, Riverside San Bernardino Co. Indian Health, Inc., Pechanga Family Services Center, Lake Co. Tribal Health Consortium, Inc., Crossroads Recovery, Bridgeport Colony, Avellaka Program La Jolla Tribe

Primary Contact:
Name: Valerie Aguilar
Position: Project Manager
Email: val@innertribaltreatment.com
Phone: 760-644-3966
Website: www.inner-tribaltreatment.com

Current YOR 4 grantee

Children First Foster Family Agency

YOR IV Project Name: Bridge to Wellness: Youth SUD Support & Treatment

Project Description: The Bridges to Wellness Program offers substance use disorder groups and individual sessions for youth ages 16-26 in the Shasta, Tehama, Butte and Sutter/Yuba areas, utilizing the evidenced-based 7-Challnges curriculum. The program is a community-based provider of overdose prevention tools, such as Narcan and Fentanyl Overdose Prevention and also provides community training on overdose prevention. The program supports:

• Low-barrier access to SUD treatment and life saving overdose prevention services, including Narcan distribution, fentanyl test strips, and overdose prevention education.

• Enhanced referral pathways and collaboration with juvenile probation, child welfare, and behavioral health providers to streamline access to services.

• Peer mentorship and youth leadership opportunities, ensuring youth voice and lived experience inform service delivery.

• Family engagement initiatives, including caregiver education sessions and support groups to promote sustained recovery and well-being.

• Financial sustainability through Medi-Cal & ECM enrollment, ensuring services remain accessible beyond the grant period.

Over the grant period, Bridge to Wellness will serve 400+ youth across the three counties, providing comprehensive SUD treatment, early intervention, and recovery support. The initiative will reduce barriers to care, expand life saving overdose prevention resources, and strengthen long-term recovery pathways through community-based partnerships and sustainable funding mechanisms.

Partner Agencies: Shasta Co. Behavioral Health, Tehama Co. Behavioral Health, Sutter Co. Behavioral Health, Shasta, Tehama, and Sutter Co. Child Welfare Services, NorCal Outreach & Stonewall, Karuk Tribe, Tehama Co. School District, Co. Probation Departments

Primary Contact:
Name: Shannon Pierce
Position: President & CEO
Email: spierce@childrenfirstffa.com
Phone: 530-528-2938
Website: www.childrenfirstffa.com

Current YOR 4 grantee

Community Medical Centers, Inc.

YOR IV Project Name: CMC Youth Opioid Response

Project Description: Community Medical Centers (CMC) will establish a Youth Opioid Response (YOR) Program for low-barrier access to opioid use disorder (OUD) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) services for youth and young adults in San Joaquin County (SJC)—a region experiencing a severe opioid crisis. The program will focus on youth ages 16-25, including Transitional Age Youth (TAY) and those at risk of misusing illicit substances, particularly fentanyl-laced counterfeit pharmaceuticals.

The program will integrate the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach; fentanyl overdose prevention, peer-led prevention education; and Motivational Interviewing into its current services.

CMC has a proven track record in SUD services, including implementing school-based programs, a detox center, sobering centers and organizing youth events like Words Outspoken, which provides a platform for youth to express their experiences with mental health and substance use in a healing environment. CMC’s YOR initiative will strengthen CMC’s continuum of care, expand outreach, and help mitigate the devastating impact of opioid addiction among SJC youth.

Partner Agencies: Stockton Unified School District, Tracy Unified School District, Tuleburg Press, Children’s Home of Stockton, PREVAIL

Primary Contact:
Name: Jennifer Winn
Position: Grants Manager
Email: jwinn@cmcenters.org
Phone: 209-373-2438
Website: www.cmcenters.org