The Faith in Harm Reduction online toolkit is a national collection of faith and community leaders who work together to address stigma against people who use drugs and advance liberation, health, and wholeness for communities impacted by overdose, trauma, stigma of substance use, and radicalized drug policy. Continue reading
Resource Tag: Local Government
COVID-19 Culturally and Linguistically Competent (CLC) Recommendations for Organizations/Entities
This educational resource provides recommendations for organizations interested in offering culturally and linguistically appropriate services in the context of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Continue reading
Supporting a Nation in Crisis: Solutions for Local Leaders to Improve Mental Health and Well-being During and Post-COVID-19
This guide is designed for local policymakers and civic institutions to improve mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic and includes recommendations and strategies for the immediate crisis and the recovery phase based on the Well Being Trust’s framework. Continue reading
Stigma-Free Communities Initiative Faith Organization Toolkit
This toolkit was designed to assist faith-based organizations in creating stigma-free communities. The toolkit includes information about stigma, a sample resolution for organizations to adopt, and information about forming a task force, creating an action plan, and communicating with the press. Continue reading
Morris County Proud to Be Stigma-Free
Morris County, New Jersey’s Proud to Be Stigma-Free Initiative’s website includes educational information about stigma and how it impedes individuals from seeking help for substance use disorder or mental health conditions. It also includes a community pledge and tool-kits for local municipalities, colleges and universities, and faith-based organizations. Continue reading
Brandeis Opioid Resource Connector
The Brandeis Opioid Resource Connector provides a curated collection of community-focused programs, tools, and resources to help policymakers and community leaders develop interventions to address the opioid crisis in their communities. The website includes information on over 160 program models that have been implemented across the country. Continue reading

Reducing Stigma Surrounding Substance Use Disorders: Creating a Community-based Anti-Stigma Initiative
Reducing the stigma surrounding substance use disorders requires changing people’s attitudes and behaviors, a challenging task many state and local government and community organizations have undertaken. In this collection, we provide guidance on creating your own community anti-stigma campaigns and examples of programs currently in operation across the country. This collection includes:
- A 2016 report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine that reviews the evidence for effective strategies for stigma reduction and provide recommendations for creating successful anti-stigma campaigns
- A tool-kit for creating an anti-stigma campaign from the Central East Addiction Technology and Transfer Center and the Danya Institute
- A link to the Distorted Perceptions website that includes educational information and materials individuals and organizations can use in creating anti-stigma campaigns
- A link to the website of the Northeastern University School of Law’s Changing the Narrative project that works to reduce stigma in media representations, provides evidence-based information to counter common myths about drug use and addiction, and connects people with experts willing to speak on anti-stigma topics
- Reports about and links to websites for community based anti-stigma initiatives that may serve as a model including:
- Recovery Reinvented, an initiative led by First Lady of North Dakota Kathryn Burgum – website link and a summary of the project from Addiction Policy Forum
- Stigma Free West Virginia – website link to the homepage with information about the effects of stigma and stories of recovery as well as a link to the project’s training and evaluation website with resources and 6 training videos
- A link the website for Morris County, New Jersey’s Proud to Be Stigma-Free initiative, which includes anti-stigma tool-kits for communities, colleges and universities, and faith-based organizations
- A link to the website for A New Path: Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing, an advocacy group with a focus on reducing the stigma associated with addiction and substance use disorder
- A link to the Massachusetts-based Opioid Project when uses art and storytelling to change perceptions around addition and recovery
If you have additional materials we should consider including in this collection, please see our call for submissions page.
Rural Community Action Guide: Building Stronger, Healthy, Drug-Free Rural Communities
This report summarizes strategies rural communities can adopt to address substance use disorder (SUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD). The report addresses a comprehensive list of issues including: Continue reading
Rural Community Action Guide: Promising Practices Supplement
This supplement to the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s Rural Community Action Guide provides brief summaries of state and local initiatives to address substance use disorder as well as links to project websites and additional information. It serves as an excellent guide for state and local policy makers and community leaders interested in programs or initiatives they could implement or adapt for their own communities. Continue reading
The Opioid Crisis and the Black/African-American Population: An Urgent Issue
The opioid crisis has affected Black/African American communities in the United States. This report includes data on the prevalence of opioid use and the rate of overdose death in this population, a discussion of the contextual factors that impact the opioid crisis in these communities including lack of access to early intervention and treatment, Continue reading