The U.S. Department of Labor released a statement on Friday announcing a $985,474 grant award to the Washington State Department of Employment Security to support its continued effort to provide temporary employment and training services to eligible individuals in Lewis, Grays Harbor, Mason, Pacific and Thurston counties.
In 2021, the Labor Department awarded an Opioid Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant of up to $1,785,474 to the state’s efforts to confront the opioid crises’ effects on workers in the region and place people in peer navigator disaster-relief positions. The initial award was $800,000 and Friday’s announcement brings the total amount awarded up to the full approved amount.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency in October 2017, enabling Washington state to request funding.
The grants are administered by the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration and are supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. The grants create temporary jobs and provide employment and training services to reintegrate workers affected by the opioid crisis back into the workforce.
