UPDATED: U.S. Department of Labor Provides National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Grant to Combat Opioid Crisis in New York State

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an opioid-crisis Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) award to the New York State Department of Labor to provide disaster relief jobs and employment services to eligible individuals in New York counties impacted by the health and economic effects of widespread opioid use, addiction, and overdose. Funding has been approved up to $5,591,446 with an initial award of $1,863,815.

The grant will assist in providing eligible participants with disaster relief employment in jobs addressing the impacts of the opioid crisis, including positions such as peer supports, peer recovery navigators, and intake/coordinator aids. It will also provide employment services to participants seeking careers in healthcare professions related to addiction, treatment, prevention, and pain management. The state anticipates serving participants in the following 22 counties impacted by the opioid crisis: Clinton, Columbia, Dutchess, Essex, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Madison, Monroe, Nassau (the City of Long Beach and the Town of Hempstead), Oneida, Ontario, Onondaga, Orange, Putnam, Seneca, Suffolk, Sullivan, Wayne, Westchester, and Yates.   

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency in October 2017, enabling New York to request this funding for an NHE DWG project. 

Supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, Dislocated Worker Grants temporarily expand the service capacity of dislocated worker programs at the state and local levels by providing funding assistance in response to large, unexpected economic events that cause significant job losses.

Editor’s note: This release has been updated to include the grant award amount.