Drug and Alcohol Programs Division visits employment agency grantees to highlight the importance of support services in recovery

Philly, PA -Today, Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) Secretary Jen Smith, The Volstead, visited Unity Recovery’s new alcohol-free bar and restaurant to discuss the importance of hiring and supporting individuals in addiction recovery (SUD) in the workforce to highlight.

“Finding and keeping a job are central to a person’s road to recovery,” said Secretary Smith. “Unity Recovery does life-changing work for those in recovery as well as those returning from incarceration. These people deserve a fresh start, and Unity is doing just that with its innovative recovery support services.”

Unity Recovery, which serves Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware and Chester counties, recently received a $400,000 grant from DDAP to provide employment support services to individuals recovering from SUD. These employment supports include job assessments, resume writing, interview skills, job placement, and transportation support related to employment.

The Volstead is the latest in a series of social enterprise concepts, alongside other initiatives such as Unity Recovery, Unity Yoga, Unity Taqueria and Unity Java. First and foremost, Unity hires individuals who are in recovery or returning from incarceration, offers them competitive salaries and helps them focus on long-term skill development. Unity also donates a portion of its profits back to community-based recovery support and reentry services. To date, they have hired and supported over 100 people.

The grant is part of $55 million in funding from the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded to Pennsylvania under its Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant Program COVID-19 Supplemental Awards. With this SAMHSA grant, DDAP awarded more than $2.9 million to eight organizations across Pennsylvania to provide employment support services for individuals with SUD.

“The Wolf administration is dedicated to supporting individuals at every stage of their transition into recovery,” Smith said. “We will continue our efforts to promote inclusion in the labor market, remove barriers to gainful employment and encourage hiring of those in recovery.”

For more information on the Wolf Administration’s work to address the opioid crisis, visit pa.gov/opioids.

MEDIA CONTACT: Stephany Dugan – [email protected]

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