AUSTINTOWN, Ohio - Valley Recovery Partners in Austintown has received a $50,000 Grant from Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to help support Mahoning Valley residents in recovery from substance abuse reenter the workforce.

According to a press release from Ohio Governor, Mike DeWine's office, the money will be used to develop a plan to connect recovery-to-work partners with individuals in recovery and create plans to redevelop an area building into a substance abuse recovery center.

The project will be completed in partnership with Kent State University and the New Castle School of Trades, as well as the Columbiana County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, the Eastern Ohio Correctional Center and the City of East Liverpool.

"Connecting those in recovery to workforce training and career development will help them achieve success on the job and on their recovery journey. There is hope and recovery and with supports and services like these, Ohioans can on on to live their version of the American Dream," DeWine said.

The funding is part of ARC's Investments Supporting Partnerships In Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE), to help address the impact substance abuse disorder has on the workforce in the Appalachian Region.

Since INSPIRE's establishment in 2021, ARC has invested nearly $42 million in 126 projects across 349 Appalachian counties. Of those projects, 16 were in Ohio totaling more than $6 million for the state.