WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the Department of Labor (DOL) has awarded a $2,833,333 National Dislocated Worker Grant to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) to help train and employ Ohioans in jobs that address the impacts of the opioid crisis. These jobs include positions like peer recovery coaches; support staff in hospitals to address the increase in drug-related admissions and babies born addicted to opioids; and social service aides to help children who are placed in foster care due to parental substance abuse.
“This investment will allow communities in Ohio to address the ongoing opioid crisis by helping to make sure Ohioans have the tools they need to land good-paying jobs that support their families and their communities in recovery,” said Brown.
Over the course of the opioid crisis, Brown has led efforts to support workforce training initiatives as well as funding for the addiction crisis.
In May 2020, Brown joined colleagues in urging House and Senate leadership to increase the federal investment for state, local and tribal governments and treatment providers who are leading our nation’s response to the ongoing substance use crisis. In 2018, Brown helped secure investments in programs that were included in the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act to increase funding for apprenticeship programs, veteran job training programs, and other programs to help Ohioans attain education and employment, including DOL’s Support to Communities: Fostering Opioid Recovery through Workforce Development program.
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