Volunteers of America receives Department of Labor grant for workforce re-entry

Oct. 16—TRI-COUNTY — Volunteers of America Mid-States (VOA) has announced that it received a $1,260,234 Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities Initiative (WORC) grant that will continue to fund its Recovery Reintegration Program in Bell, Clay, Jackson, Knox, Laurel, Leslie, McCreary, and Whitley counties. This grant also expands this program to Clark, Garrard, Madison, and Owsley counties.

VOA's Recovery Reintegration Program works with people in recovery to return to the workforce. This program offers job placement, training, and follow-up. Services the program provides include career counseling, mentoring, resume building, interviewing techniques, and financial literacy. Since the program's inception in March 2022, VOA has successfully enrolled 600 clients, placed 335 in jobs, partnered with 244 employers and trained and educated 280 clients.

"We are so incredibly thankful for the renewal of this grant, which will enable us to continue to help individuals achieve gainful employment," said VOA Mid-States President and CEO Jennifer Hancock. "These federal funds will allow VOA to serve even more individuals from our most vulnerable populations and return them to the workforce during a time when workforce participation is essential to our economy."