EKCEP PROJECT TO ASSIST IN ADDICTION RECOVERY AWARDED $1.4 MILLION ARC POWER GRANT

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced this week more than $10 million in funding, through its POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative, for Appalachia Kentucky projects. 

Among those projects selected for funding includes the eastern Kentucky Addiction Recovery & Training Program (eKART). Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP), Inc. will administer the project in partnership with Sullivan University and Addiction Recovery Care in order to bridge the gap between addiction recovery and productive participation in the workforce for individuals in recovery. EKCEP was awarded $1,461,078 in ARC funds for the project.

The program will provide valuable career training and supportive services, as well as cultivate second-chance job opportunities. This project will provide regional businesses with information on ways to provide a supportive environment for employees in recovery, increasing the opportunities for work-based training and apprenticeships, while also partnering with treatment providers to identify and recruit recovering individuals appropriate for those opportunities. Sullivan University, which is successfully training individuals in recovery to become Peer Support Specialists, will enable participants to return to the workforce in jobs where they can help other individuals enter and complete recovery.

The project will train 65 new peer support specialists and at least 125 individuals in recovery will re-enter the Eastern Kentucky workforce. Sixty-three businesses will be certified as recovery-friendly workplaces.

Click here to read the full announcement, including details of all projects selected for funding.