US Department of Labor awards $2M in funding to continue employment, training services to combat Maine’s opioid crisis

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $2,093,964 in incremental funding to the Maine Department of Labor to create jobs and provide employment services to eligible participants in nine counties significantly affected by widespread opioid use, addiction and overdose.

Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, the funding is part of a $6.2 million award in February 2020. The Opioid Disaster Recovery Dislocated Workers Grant to Maine will support disaster-relief employment and retraining for eligible individuals in Androscoggin, Aroostook, Cumberland, Kennebec, Oxford, Penobscot, Waldo, Washington and York counties.  

The grant will provide eligible participants with disaster-relief employment in jobs addressing the impacts of the opioid crisis, including recovery coaches, licensed alcohol and drug counselors and outreach professionals. These funds may also provide services to reintegrate workers affected by the crisis and train individuals to work in mental health treatment, addiction treatment and pain management.

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