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Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) proposes Together: Recovery and Employment (TRE) to provide workforce development to 200 individuals in Philadelphia with substance use disorder (SUD). 100 individuals will have the opportunity to gain a certification in medical billing and coding and participate in a paid work experience provided by PHMC. Philadelphia is the poorest of the nations 10 largest cities, with 25.3% of Philadelphia adults living below poverty and 12.3% of residents living in deep poverty. In 2017, Philadelphia experienced 1,200 deaths related to drug overdoses. Estimates from 2011-2015 put individuals in Philadelphia struggling with SUD at a median household income of $38,253, with 26.4% of the population having had an income in the past 12 months that put them below the poverty level. The unemployment rate for the SUD population during this time was 13.9%. The need for medical billers and coders (MB&C) is expected to increase. Philadelphia Works, Inc. lists this occupation as a High Priority Occupation and projects that the Philadelphia area will need 1,430 (13.5% increase) MB&C by 2026. The proposed goal for TRE is to provide workforce development and job placement services to 200 individuals being treated for SUD. PHMC proposes by February 2025 to certify 100 individuals in MB&C and place them in employment in the healthcare sector and by March 2025 to support and place 100 individuals who did not participate in the MB&C certification into employment opportunities. To achieve this PHMC proposes to provide clients an assessments of their workforce development needs, 8 weeks of workforce development using the evidence-based PAIRIN curriculum, a 6 month vocational training in MB&C, and placement in sustainable positions either in the healthcare sector or other area. To execute TRE, PHMC proposes a team of individuals that includes a Managing Director, Senior Director, Director, Program Manager, Job Developer, Facilitator, Case Manager, and Program Assistant. Data on TRE is proposed to be entered, tracked, and managed into PHMC's new integrated health platform with strict privacy policies adhere to. PHMC has served the Greater Philadelphia region since 1972 applying best practices and evidence-based guidelines to improve community health. For decades PHMC has adapted an individual placement and supports (IPS) model of supported treatment for individuals with SUD. Since its founding, PHMC has served more than 25,000 of Philadelphia's low-income adults and youth helping them to gain the skills to obtain quality jobs in growing industries. This vast experience of providing SUD treatment and employment services, has prepared PHMC to implement TRE to address the specific needs of Philadelphians with SUD.

Safer Foundation proposes the Transforming Lives Through Employment Project to serve individuals who have a criminal record, need support for substance use disorder, and employment in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and Will Counties. Typically, this population is 70% African American, 12% White, and 9% Hispanic. Nearly 70% meet diagnostic criteria for drug and/or alcohol use disorders. Approximately 15% of men and 30% of women have a serious mental illness. Safer will partner with the Illinois Department of Corrections and community organizations to provide an array of employment, education, and behavioral health services delivered directly at Safer's Chicago-based Wellness Center or through virtual case management. All participants will be immediately assessed for substance use disorder, education and employment training, and workforce placement services to be connected with appropriate programs and services. Safer will use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, ASAM Criteria and Guidelines, Medication-Assisted Treatment, Continuity of Care Upon Release, and Supported Employment. Goal 1: Increase the engagement of individuals with substance use needs and justice system involvement residing in the five-county catchment area into treatment. Obj. 1.1 By end of year 1 and each subsequent year, 50% of referrals will result in a kept intake appointment within 14 days of the referral. Obj. 1.2 By the end of year 1 and each subsequent year, 25% of clients who attended their initial intake appointment will attend one or more follow-up visits. Goal 2: Increase the employment rate of individuals with substance use needs and justice system involvement residing in the five-county catchment area. Obj. 2.1 By the end of year 1 and at the end of each subsequent year, 50% of unemployed clients who attended their intake appointment will also be enrolled in employment services. Goal 3: Decrease the use of drugs and alcohol amongst individuals with a history of substance use needs and justice system involvement. Obj. 3.1 By the end of year 1 and at the end of each subsequent year, 25% of clients who show negative or decreased levels during from a previous drug test during a subsequent visit. Goal 4: Reduce the recidivism rate individuals with substance use needs and justice system involvement. Obj. 4.1 Criminal Justice Involvement: By the end of year 1 and at the end of each subsequent year, 75% of clients who enrolled in employment services will have not recidivated. Goal 5: Decrease the use of tobacco amongst individuals with a history of substance use needs and justice system involvement residing in the five-county catchment area. Obj. 5.1: By the end of year 1, 75% of patients will be screened for tobacco use, and for those identified as a tobacco user, will have received a cessation intervention. Goal 6: Facilitate capacity building across the Illinois workforce development ecosystem to assist justice-involved persons in substance use disorder treatment to participate in the workforce. Obj.6.1: Annually, conduct at least 3 virtual regional convenings and 1 state scoping session on workforce challenges and opportunities for the target population. The project will serve at least 75 unduplicated participants in year 1 (accounts for start-up period) for a total of 500 by end of project

Project Name: Bridge to Success Workforce (BSW) NORA is a community-based substance abuse prevention and peer recovery support organization that seeks to reduce the progression and onset of substance misuse and its related problems. NORA will partner with workforce development boards, labor unions and economic development agencies to provide a one-stop treatment, recovery, and workforce expansion program to adult men and women who are have been impacted by opioids. Populations to be served: BSW will target adult men and women, age 18 and over, in Cuyahoga and Lorain Counties. Participants will be majority white/Caucasian and black/African American. Up to 70% will report current unemployment. Half will not have completed high school. The majority will be poly-substance users. In 2017, Ohio had the 2nd highest opioid death rate in America. It is estimated that the opioid crisis kills 5,000 people—more than the number of people 30 Boeing 747 airplanes can hold—and costs Ohio between $4 and $5 billion each year. Half of Ohio businesses report suffering consequences due to substance misuse, primarily related to absenteeism, decreased productivity, and shortage of workers. Strategies and Interventions: NORA's BSW project will target low income, opioid-impacted individuals and enroll them in a one-stop comprehensive system of care that integrates wraparound and clinical services. Once an individual has completed treatment, he will progress to the second phase of the program and receive career and employment training. This project will build on current substance abuse treatment infrastructure and improve Ohio's industry sectors impacted by the opioid crisis by 1) expanding treatment and peer recovery support services, 2) Partnering with local organizations to provide wraparound and career and employment services, 3) Disseminating communications materials to reduce stigma and raise awareness of opioid use to employers and workforce development boards across Ohio, 4) Monitoring BSW by collecting and analyzing participant data. Project goals: Over the project's lifetime, NORA will reach 500 adult men and women (100 per year for years 1-5). Goal 1: Reduce overdose deaths and opioid dependence by providing substance abuse treatment and wraparound services; Goal 2: Increase employment opportunities for adult men and women impacted by opioids by coordinating local and statewide employment and training activities; Goal 3: Reduce substance use, including opioid use, by organizing a BSW Committee comprised of labor unions, economic development agencies, businesses, and workforce development agencies; Goal 4: Improve statewide employment and training strategies by collecting and reporting community-level data with stakeholders throughout Ohio. By April 31, 2024: 70% of early-recovery participants will have reported reduced use of or abstinence from substance use (including tobacco) at six months post-intake and 50% of early-recovery participants will have maintained or increased employment at six months post-intake.

Chicago Recovering Communities Coalition (CCRC) will offer the Independent Living Program, a comprehensive array of evidence-based recovery support services for uninsured and high-risk young people and adults in SUD treatment and recovery in Austin, the largest of Chicago's impoverished west side communities and beyond. Services will include: individualized recovery management plans; soft skills and job training and placement; career services; peer-to-peer individual and group support; sober social and recreational activities; and additional health/wellness services. CRCC's Independent Living Program will support uninsured, unemployed and/or low-income individuals in SUD treatment and recovery seeking support through our Recovery Community Center and community partners. CCRC serves both men and women with a multitude of concerns in addition to their addiction, including those with dual diagnosis, low income, racially/ethnically diverse backgrounds, criminal backgrounds, PTSD, chronic homelessness, etc. Program staff and leaders will work with participants during and after completion of peer support and career services, providing support that moves them through and out of addiction and recovery to live independently and participate in the workforce. 2,000 individuals will receive services (400 annually). The overall goal will be to establish a substance free and independent life by: enhancing recovery, independent living, self-esteem, and life skills for participants by 40%, and to enhance employment-based recovery support services and remove barriers that bar Illinois individuals in recovery from gainful employment by 25%. CRCC is a Recovery Community Organization and members of Faces & Voices Association of Recovery Community Organizations. CRCC provides evidence-based Peer Recovery Support Coaching at their Recovery Community Center in Chicago. In 2018, CRCC was awarded the Recovery Orientation Systems of Care (ROSC) State Grant to develop a comprehensive collaborative network approach resulting in a sustainable ROSC council and ROSC sites within the Austin, west side community, and SAMHSA's Building Communities of Recovery grant in 2019. CRCC received a pilot project thru Facing Addiction in March of 2017 to begin to address the public response to addiction through grassroots driven campaigns.

The Workplace in Recovery (WIR) program will provide workforce development, support, training services and recovery-based substance use and mental health services to 350 persons with substance use disorder or co-occurring conditions (SUD/CoC) in 5 North Carolina counties. The WIR Team will implement a three-level model that includes (1) resource and support, (2) service delivery and training, and (3) collective impact focused sustainability planning. The WIR will use comprehensive support of employees and employers to maximize retention and to integrate recovery services and supports. Persons served will be 16-years of age or older, have a SUD/CoC, and will be assessed using multiple tools and processes to ensure goodness of fit between recovery services, employment services and employers. The WIR program will synthesize several evidence-based practices including Individual Placement and Support- Supported Employment (IPS), Strengths-Based Case Management (SBCM), Results-Based Accountability/Collective Impact (RBA-CI), that will further embed the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework, Social Marketing and Motivational Interviewing. The WIR model will be the "one-stop shop" that will organize and support activities to meet the proposed goals and objectives. Goals include: (1) Partners and United Way will strengthen collaboration among employers and key stakeholders to increase treatment, recovery and workforce support and opportunities for individuals with SUD/CoC. Objectives are to develop a network of recovery friendly employers, integrating needed services including EAP services; increase workforce capacity through integrating experience and ability of multiple stakeholders; develop a Workforce Playbook; and improve retention. (2) Provide treatment and workforce support to those with SUD/CoC to increase and maintain employment of recovering individuals in the five counties selected in PBHM catchment area. Objectives are to increase employment of individuals with SUD/CoC; expand access to IPS; reduce stigma; and serving whole person health through addressing behavioral/recovery, physical and social health issues, including trauma. (3) Develop a sustainable infrastructure to continue job growth, resource development, retention, early detection of obstacles, and satisfaction for employers and employees. Objectives are to assess community needs via a Collective Impact Readiness Assessment: implement the RBA-CI model via the Advisory Council, reduce SDOH levels; and to use a data-driven process via integrating the Clear Impact software system to track performance measures, and from the start identifying and addressing obstacles to ensure sustainability post grant funding.

In partnership, WestCare Illinois and Central States SER will provide integrated Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and workforce development services for adults diagnosed with SUD and in need of workforce development assistance. The primary geographic catchment area is Little Village neighborhood (South Lawndale area of Chicago) and City of Markham (South Suburbs of Chicago), Illinois. individuals in SUD treatment and recovery to live independently and participate in the workforce. Goal 1: Provide trauma informed evidence-based substance use disorder treatment to adults living in Cook County, IL with a primary focus on the South Lawndale and Markham geographic areas. Objective 1.1: Provide evidence-based SUD treatment services to 470 individuals (70 individuals in year 1; 100 individuals annually in years 2-5). Objective 1.2: 100% of enrolled individuals will develop an individualized strength-based treatment plan. Objective 1.3: 75% of clients will successfully complete the program. Objective 1.4: 75% of clients will be substance free during the 30 days prior to discharge and 70% will remain abstinent during the 30 days prior to the 6-months post intake as evidenced by drug test results and documented by GPRA. Goal 2: Provide evidence-based supportive employment training to allow individuals to live independently and participate in the workforce. Objective 2.1: Provide evidence-based supportive employment services to 470 individuals (70 in year 1; 100 annually in years 2-5). Objective 2.2: 100% of applicants will receive screening for program appropriateness using WIOA's comprehensive application. Objective 2.3: 90% of participants will be assessed using the CASAS work readiness assessment tool. Objective 2.4: 90% of participants will be assessed using Illinois Worknet's Skills and Interest Survey. Objective 2.5: 90% of enrolled individuals will develop an individualized strength-based treatment plan. Objective 2.6: 70% of clients will successfully complete the program. Objective 2.7: 90% of the clients completing services will be in an educational/vocational program, seeking employment, or employed at discharge, and 70% will continue to remain enrolled, complete their education/training, or remain employed at 6-months post admission as evidenced by the GPRA. Objective 2.8: 80% of the clients completing services and not having stable living arrangement at admission will have stable living arrangements at discharge, and 70% of those will maintain their living arrangements at 6-months post intake as evidenced by the GPRA. Evidence-based practices include The Seven Challenges, Motivational Interviewing, Seeking Safety, Transforming Impossible to Possible: A Job Readiness Curriculum for the Workforce Development Field, and Career Foundations Making Your Education Work for You.

Treatment, Recovery and Workforce Support Program for the Mahoning Valley Overview: Flying HIGH, Inc. (FHI), in collaboration with the Mahoning Valley Partnership for Employment (MVPE) Employer Consortium, the Area 17 Workforce Investment Board (Mahoning and Columbiana Counties), and the Area 18 Workforce Investment Board (Trumbull County), present the Treatment, Recovery and Workforce Support Program for the Mahoning Valley. FHI is the only state-certified treatment provider in the Mahoning Valley that also operates two state-certified professional development schools. This project will serve person in the geographical catchment area of Ohio called the Mahoning Valley; comprised of Mahoning, Columbiana, and Trumbull counties. This area has a long history of high unemployment rates, high poverty, and high concentration of substance abuse and overdose deaths per capita. Clinical and Demographic Considerations: The target population for this project are adults age 21 and older who identify as persons with substance use disorders (SUD) and are engaged in treatment and recovery services in the Mahoning Valley. It is likely that they will be persons with co-occurring disorders including mental health and chronic health concerns. They may also be persons with criminal justice histories who are re-entering society. We anticipate that they will either be unemployed at time of entry, or underemployed due to skill deficits or disrupted education and work history. It is likely that over 60% of participants will be African-American and 40% will be Caucasian, with a near 50/50 split between men and women. Project Goals and Objectives: The purpose of this program is to implement evidence-based programs to support individuals in substance use disorder treatment and recovery to live independently and participate in the workforce. This project will serve 450 unduplicated individuals over the course of the five-year grant period with yearly projections as follows: Y1: 50; Y2: 75; Y3: 90; Y4: 90; Y5: 90. Goal: Implement Recovery to Work through Flying HIGH, Inc. to support individuals with SUD to live independently and participate in the workforce. Objectives: 1. Improve health care for Ohio's workforce through wellness and prevention programs and expand access. 2. Continue to fight the addiction epidemic and emphasize recovery-to-work programs. 3. Strengthen the workforce through job training initiatives and partnerships with educational institutions aimed at preparing Ohio's workforce for the future. Evidence-Based Practices: The evidence-based program to be implemented is Recovery to Work (RtW). The RtW program emphasizes recovery as an essential feature of vocational development and elevates the importance of maintaining recovery and wellness as a foundation for employment. FHI was an early implementer of the Recovery to Work (RtW) program in Ohio through a partnership between the Ohio Dept. of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Offices. Lead Applicant: Flying HIGH, Inc.; Project Director: Jeff Magada, jmagada@flyinghighinc.org

The REBOUND Program will provide intensive care coordination, case management, prevocational, and vocational services to patients with substance use disorders in Montgomery County, Ohio. By creating linkages between treatment and workforce providers, and providing comprehensive support services and access to specialized training, patients will gain the necessary skills and feel empowered to obtain and retain meaningful employment. The REBOUND Program will serve unemployed patients with a substance use disorder diagnosis receiving treatment services from Samaritan Behavioral Health Services, Inc. (SBHI) at the OneFifteen Recovery campus located in Dayton, Ohio. This will be accomplished by providing patients with intensive care coordination services in order to improve patient engagement, establish recovery goals, and overcome barriers to employment. Patients will be connected to prevocational and vocational services through workforce development partnerships. These services consist of free job-readiness trainings; increased access to job postings; access to a computer lab, fax, and phone; referrals for interview clothing; drug and background screening services; and invitations to hiring events, job fairs, pre-screenings, and candidate referrals. The program will utilize tech enabled job and recovery support via a patient engagement app that connects the patient to resources and to their care team. It offers a pipeline of potential employees to community partners and expert resource providers, increasing the number of job opportunities. All care coordination and workforce services will be fully integrated into SBHI's clinical services, as well as their partner, OneFifteen Recovery's wraparound services that includes recovery housing, job training, job placement, educational support, legal assistance, and transportation. Other key partnerships include the Area 7 Workforce Development Board and OMJ-MC. The following project goals and measurable objectives are expected to be achieved. (GOAL #1) Increase the number of individuals with SUDs receiving prevocational training services: 95% of patients will receive an employment and vocational needs assessment; 100% of patients will complete a referral for services; and 85% of patients will be linked with prevocational services. (GOAL #2) Increase the number of individuals with SUDs who are directly linked with employment opportunities: 65% of patients will use the treatment engagement app to access job postings; and 60% will get linked to an employment opportunity. (GOAL #3) Increase the number of individuals with SUDs that are provided case management, counseling, and care coordination services: 100% of patients will engage with a Care Coordination Team; 90% will overcome barriers to employment; and 75% will demonstrate minimal impact on work function through the use of telehealth services. The program will serve approximately 200 individuals within the first year, 400 individuals per each subsequent year, and a total of 1,800 individuals served over the lifetime of the grant.