The Champaign County Department of Job and Family Services (CCDJFS) has received job training funds to help local families recover from impacts of the opioid addiction crisis.
The funds come from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Opioid-Crisis Dislocated Worker Grant, says Stacy Cox, director of the CCDFJS. The job training assistance is available to eligible applicants in two primary groups:
-People who indicate they, a family member or friend have a history of opioid use. They may be eligible to receive occupational skills training for any of a wide range of in-demand jobs compiled by the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation (http://omj.ohio.gov/OMJResources/In-DemandOccupations.stm).
-Individuals not impacted by opioid addiction, but who are interested in working in approved fields impacted by the opioid crisis. These include substance abuse and mental health counseling and social work, pain management, emergency medical technicians, and health care professions such as nursing.
Eligibility requirements for the job training assistance also include being:
-A dislocated worker
-Temporarily or permanently laid off as a consequence of the opioid emergency
-A long-term unemployed individual (employed less than 15 of the last 26 weeks)
-Self-employed, unemployed or significantly underemployed as a result of the opioid crisis
“We’ve reached out to our community partners to make them aware of these funds so they can refer people to us,” Amy Sherman, workforce supervisor for OhioMeansJobs Champaign County (OMJCC), which administers employment and job training services for the CCDJS.
To learn more about the training assistance, she said, individuals may contact the lead case manager at 937-484-1500, ext. 2705 or [email protected]. OMJCC is located at 1512 S. U.S. 68, Bay 14, Urbana. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
“They can set up an appointment with Andrea Mitchell, our lead case manager, to find out the requirements of the program,” Sherman said. “We help people determine if they are eligible, help them assess their skill sets and how they can build on them, help them choose training that’s most appropriate for them, and connect them with local training programs,” Sherman said.
“This funding opens the door to opportunities and flexibility to help more individuals get the training they need for in-demand jobs and to achieve self-sufficiency, without the need for public assistance.”
Sherman added that the OMJCC is partnering with other community organizations to connect clients to supportive services to help them succeed, such as transportation, child care and drug, alcohol and mental health counseling.
The special job training funding is available in all Ohio counties, as the state has been severely impacted by the opioid crisis. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Ohio had the second highest rate of opioid overdose deaths in 2017.
Cox said that Champaign County is initially receiving $19,000 of the grant. Additional funding could be obtained as local demand requires and if other counties do not use their full allocation.
