Foster Forward Awarded $30,000 to Expand Overdose Prevention at Youth Drop-In Center

Foster Forward has received a $30,000 grant from the Rhode Island Foundation, in partnership with Governor Dan McKee’s Overdose Task Force, to expand overdose prevention and recovery services at our Youth Drop-In Center in East Providence.

This funding will strengthen lifesaving supports for young people experiencing housing instability, substance use challenges, and disconnection from systems of care.

A Trusted Space for Youth

Last year, more than 180 youth found safety, support, and connection through Foster Forward’s Drop-In Center. The center provides access to basic needs like food, showers, and clothing, along with clinical and peer support in a trusted, youth-centered environment.

Youth who visit the center can engage with a full-time clinician and a peer support specialist with lived experience of foster care and homelessness. For many young people, this space serves as a vital bridge during moments of instability, trauma, and crisis.

Expanding Prevention and Recovery Support

With this new funding, Foster Forward will expand overdose prevention education and strengthen recovery-oriented services at the Drop-In Center. This includes distributing naloxone kits and medication lockboxes, increasing clinical support, using validated screening tools for substance use risk, and connecting youth to treatment and recovery resources through trusted partners.

These services are designed to meet young people where they are and reduce barriers to care, especially for those at highest risk.

A Statewide Investment in Saving Lives

The grant is one of 19 awarded statewide through a partnership between the Rhode Island Foundation and the Governor’s Overdose Task Force. Funding for the program comes from Rhode Island’s Opioid Settlement Agreement.

We are grateful for this investment and proud to be part of a broader effort to save lives and support young people with compassion, dignity, and care.