WASHINGTON, D.C. —New York State's Department of Labor will receive an initial payment of more than $1.8 million as part of a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor designed to assist those affected by the state's opioid crisis.
The Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG), which has funding approval for up to $5,591,446, will allow the state to provide "disaster relief employment" for jobs related to the opioid crisis such as peer supports, peer recovery, navigators and intake/coordinator aids, according to the department. The grant can also be used to help individuals affected by the opioid crisis find health care careers in addiction, treatment, prevention and pain management, it added.
Program participants in New York State's most affected areas will benefit from the grant funding and include Clinton, Columbia, Dutchess, Essex, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Madison, Monroe, Nassau (Long Beach City and the Town of Hempstead), Oneida, Ontario, Onondaga, Orange, Putnam, Seneca, Suffolk, Sullivan, Wayne, Westchester and Yates counties.
The Dislocated Worker Grants, established in 2014, offer state and local work programs to those areas suffering major job losses due to unexpected economic circumstances.