Five Kentucky projects receive grants to help Appalachians in recovery

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Kentucky has received $1.9 million in grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission, which will be given to five projects that will create or expand support services to help Appalachians in recovery enter or re-enter the workforce.

The money is awarded through ARCs Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) initiative. This round of awards amounts to nearly $11.5 million for 39 projects in nine Appalachian states.

“Substance use disorder is a region-wide epidemic that impacts Appalachian families and community workforces,” ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin said in a news release. “I commend our 2024 INSPIRE grantees for their dedication in helping Appalachians who have struggled with substance use disorder regain a sense of hope and purpose by enabling them to rejoin their communities, bolster workforce development, and make positive impacts on the region.”

The five Kentucky projects will receive amounts ranging from $50,000 to half a million dollars. They are:

•  Housing Development Alliance, Inc., in Hazard, received a $500,000 grant for the Building Hope Beyond Recovery project. This project will provide workforce training and certification in housing construction to individuals in SUD recovery to support flood recovery efforts in Breathitt, Knott, Leslie, and Perry counties. The demand for skilled construction workers will increase as large post-flood construction projects begin throughout the region later in 2024. The project expects to provide skilled hands-on training in housing construction to 12 individuals in recovery, job experience with a livable wage and flexible scheduling to accommodate completion of recovery programs and/or court requirements.
• Goodwill Industries of Kentucky, Inc., in Louisville, received a $500,000 grant for the Gateway from Recovery to Work project. This project will include 20 months of skills-based training for individuals in recovery to earn industry-recognized credentials for employment in high-demand sectors paying livable wages. The program will also provide a network of supportive services, including recovery and case management support through six months of employment, conducive to sustained sobriety and employment. Career pathways for the project clients have been carefully selected based on credential requirements, the degree of recovery support in the workplace, labor market data and employer feedback. The program is expected to provide 50 individuals in recovery with credentials to achieve and maintain employment with 12 recovery-friendly employers.
• Kentucky River District Health Department, in Whitesburg, received a $499,206 grant for the HUB-Letcher County project. This project will develop and expand the recovery ecosystem in rural Appalachian Kentucky. Through partnerships with Southeast Community and Technical College, local employers will provide an opportunity for individuals to come out of SUD treatment and into training or an apprenticeship program. It is intended that this training will lead to a career and help trainees gain self-sufficiency. It is anticipated that 29 businesses will be improved by gaining a skilled workforce, and 800 participants will be improved by gaining skills and the removal of barriers to their immediate employment.
•  Foothills Academy, Inc., dba Foothill-CBI, in Albany, received a $396,039 grant for the BENEFIT (Building an Ecosystem Network with Employment Focused Intensive Treatment) project. This project will target justice-involved adults in SUD recovery, seeking to break down silos and create cross-sector collaborations to create a recovery-to-workforce model for Clinton and Wayne counties. The program will create a one-stop shop for individuals in recovery by providing SUD treatment, creating linkages between education and training providers and organizations that provide wraparound services, reducing barriers to employment and providing job placement. It is anticipated that 40 participants and four businesses will be served as a result of the project.
• Mercy Health-Marcum and Wallace Hospital, in Irvine, received a $50,000 grant for the Planning for a Recovery Ecosystem in Rural Kentucky project. This project will integrate the existing Helpful Opportunities for Medical Advancement (HOME) network of federally qualified health centers and Critical Access Hospitals into the recovery ecosystem in Appalachian Kentucky. Following a scan of recovery-friendly workplaces and a needs assessment of employers of individuals in recovery, Mercy Health-Marcum and Wallace Hospital will develop a regional workforce recruitment and retention plan for individuals in recovery, a strategic plan for the HOME Network itself and a replicable template for instituting a recovery-friendly workplace.