Recovery and Workforce Development
We know that high rates of employment create a stronger economy and increase the overall standard of living (US Department of Labor). How can we support people in recovery by providing opportunities to secure meaningful employment throughout our region?
To find out, we spoke with Marty Holliday, the executive director of the New River and Mt. Rogers Workforce Development Board. The NRMRWDB added the mission to specifically serve people in recovery in 2021, when a POWER grant (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) was awarded. This grant allowed for Holliday and her team to start working directly with our region’s recovery population.
The first step in recovery related workforce development was to train more individuals to become certified peer recovery specialists (CPRS). There was initial success with this goal, but criminal background checks often stood in the way of certification attainment and employment. Holliday stated that “they had no way to get around” those barrier policies for individuals with records. Another obstacle was finding other kinds of training for people in recovery, seeing as not everyone in this population wanted to become a CPRS. Providing additional employment options is key in helping to ensure that people find meaningful and longlasting career paths.
Aside from needing trainings and certifications, many individuals simply needed more support in their recovery process in order for going back to work to be a sustainable option. Holliday said that’s where projects like the Recovery Ecosystem come in, to increase accessibility to resources and support for people throughout the community. Understanding that recovery journeys are not linear, but rather take on a variety of different shapes, is key.
The second step was building the capacity within workspaces to serve individuals in recovery. Through the POWER grant, 30 individuals who were already working in health care and social service fields received training to better recognize and respond to substance use disorders. Generating more awareness and compassion within these spaces helps to not only improve services, but also to reduce stigma.
The third step was to develop a plan to become a recovery ready region across all 13 localities, a long term goal. The work force development board teamed up with public health students from Virginia Tech to gather data on the resources that NRV and Mt. Rogers have to offer. As Holliday said, “you can’t fill a gap if you don’t know what’s missing”.
This work, however, provided more questions rather than answers by revealing the complex and interconnected challenges people in recovery face, such as navigating the criminal justice system, experiencing housing and food insecurity, and dealing with transportation issues.
In regards to reentry resources, Holliday discussed the Pathway Home grant they received in partnership with TAP (Total Action for Progress) out of Roanoke. This grant allowed for the creation of a workforce development training program for people incarcerated in Bland and Marion Correctional Centers.
The regional jails, however, do not fit the same model of said program. Instead, Virginia CARES is working with people in our local jails to funnel them into receiving resources from the workforce development board. Virginia CARES (New River Community Action Re-Entry System) works to provide not just connections to employment opportunities, but also housing referrals, financial assistance, and free counseling services.
Moving forward, Holliday shared that the most important step is to continue fighting stigma throughout the region.
“We will never get past this if we cannot begin to address it. [Address] how it functions in the workplace, and ensure that people get opportunities to be hired. I think we have to plant peers everywhere, which means we have to eliminate stigma. Maybe [employers] don't have anybody in their HR department that has substance use disorder, but that doesn't mean someone in their company doesn't. You know, are they open enough to encourage that [vulnerability]? And I think it's not only the peers, it's the ally training.”
Recovery ally trainings in the work place help us to “broaden our understanding” of what it means for a person to be in recovery according to Holliday. Radford University will be hosting a recovery ally training on March 25th, 2025, register here. She emphasized the importance of employers creating work environments that promote honesty and acceptance.
Stigma keeps people silent and isolated. “Most people that are in recovery are not telling anybody when they get hired. Nobody knows”, Holliday shared. In order for us to heal as a region, we must be willing to have these conversations. This means learning to engage with the complexities that come with recovery, and appreciating what our community members with lived experiences can bring to our region.