SUPPORT Act Grants

Support to Communities Opioid Recovery Grants

The Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (SUPPORT Act), which became Public Law 115-271 in October 2018, is a bipartisan effort to address the country’s opioid and substance misuse epidemic. This law includes critical provisions to standardize the delivery of addiction medicine; expand access to high-quality, evidence-based care; and address the impacts of the epidemic by increasing and strengthening our workforce.

At the White House’s direction, the Secretary of Health and Human Services declared a national public health emergency on October 26, 2017 and has renewed the declaration every 90 days thereafter. As a result of this declaration, the White House recommended the use of grant funds to help workers who have been displaced from the workforce because of the opioid crisis.

Further, it directs the Department to carry out a pilot grant program to address the economic and workforce impacts associated with high rates of substance use disorders. The provisions of the law related to the pilot grant build upon the model previously established by the Department’s NHE Dislocated Worker Demonstration Grants and the NHE Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grants. As authorized by the SUPPORT Act, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is announcing the availability of up to $20 million in grant funds for the Support to Communities: Fostering Opioid Recovery through Workforce Development grant program. The Support to Communities grant program is a separate funding opportunity from the NHE grants, which are awarded on a rolling basis. While the Support to Communities grants share some similarities with the two rounds of NHE grants, these grants have been awarded on a competitive basis and include additional features and requirements outlined in the SUPPORT Act.

The goals of these grants are to:

• Implement innovative approaches for addressing the economic and workforce-related impacts on local communities affected by the opioid and substance misuse epidemic;
• Engage employers as essential partners to address the impacts of substance and opioid misuse by playing an active role in the grant’s program design and delivery, pioneering creative ways to support the skills attainment of existing or new employees, and connecting businesses with resources such as the Employer Resource Network to help workers retain their employment;
• Provide training and employment services and comprehensive screening services, including outpatient treatment recovery care and other supportive services, to individuals impacted by the crisis; and
• Deliver training and employment opportunities to encourage more individuals to enter professions that could address the crisis and/or provide relevant skills training that would help individuals enter career pathways and find and retain employment in in-demand occupations.