Bartholomew is among more than two dozen Indiana counties sharing a federal grant intended to help recovering addicts gain in-demand job skills.
The $4.7 million dislocated worker grant is expected to assist 450 individuals residing within 25 counties that include Jackson, Decatur and Jennings, as well as Bartholomew.
Some funds will help create jobs for community health workers, recovery coaches and peer navigators to help impacted Hoosiers break their addictions, according to the federal news release.
However, part of the grant is earmarked for occupational training for recovering addictions, as well as their eventual placement in high-wage, in-demand occupations, the release stated.
“We certainly recognize that gainful and meaningful employment plays an important role in recovery,” said Matthew Neville, operations and communication manager for the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County. “We are excited to see funding for this purpose coming from the state and federal governments.”
The grant is intended to bolster Indiana’s existing Next Level Recovery and workforce initiatives, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said.
Issued by the federal Department of Labor, dislocated worker grants are typically used to respond to large, unexpected layoff events that cause significant job losses.
For example, Indianapolis received this type of grant last October to retrain older workers unfamiliar with new technologies obtained by their employers.
But “opioid abuse devastates families and communities,” U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta stated.
The opioid crisis was declared a national public health emergency in the fall of 2017, enabling Indiana to receive this grant, the release stated.
The announcement specifically mentions dislocated veterans as among beneficiaries who could qualify to have their employability and earnings enhanced through this grant.
