U.S. Department of Labor Awards Dislocated Worker Grant to Illinois For Jobs and Employment Services in Response to Opioid Crisis

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an opioid-crisis Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for up to $5,600,000 with $1,866,667 released initially. This grant will provide disaster-relief jobs and employment services to eligible individuals in Illinois impacted by the health and economic effects of widespread opioid use, addiction, and overdose.

The grant will provide eligible participants with disaster-relief employment in jobs addressing the crisis, such as behavioral health technicians, clinical support technicians, peer support navigators, and recovery coaches. The project assists eligible individuals directly impacted by the crisis with reintegration into the workforce, providing them employment and training services to prepare them for self-sustaining employment critical to a stable recovery.

Illinois anticipates serving approximately 300 grant participants in the following Illinois counties: Adam, Brown, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeWitt, Hancock, Henderson, Jo Daviess, Knox, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, Macon, McDonough, Ogle, Pike, Putnam, Schuyler, Warren, Whiteside, and Will.

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