WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured a provision in the government funding bill that passed the Senate today to help address some of the challenges associated with the opioid and substance abuse epidemic in Kentucky and throughout the nation.
Senator McConnell’s provision directs the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to encourage Community Development Block Grant recipients to provide funding to organizations that administer housing services for recovering addicts transitioning from treatment to the workforce. The total funding provided in the bill for the Community Development Block Grant program is over $3 billion – Kentucky would receive a portion of those funds, which could then be used for this purpose.
“Kentuckians who find themselves trapped in the cycle of addiction often need assistance to find stable living and employment, which are vital to their long-term recovery,” Senator McConnell said. “The Senate’s action today supports this crucial part of recovery by instructing HUD to encourage grant recipients to use these critical resources to support individuals transitioning from treatment back into the workforce until they can secure a permanent housing arrangement. As long as I serve in the Senate, Kentucky communities suffering from high instances of substance abuse will have an ally in Washington.”
This provision builds on Senator McConnell’s work to combat the scourge of opioid and substance abuse in Kentucky and throughout the nation. Earlier this year, he introduced the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery through Effective Employment and Reentry (CAREER) Act, which helps address the devastating impact of substance abuse on America’s workforce. The CAREER Act also encourages expanding transitional housing options for recovering addicts until they arrange a living situation. Further, it gives states more flexibility to invest federal career and training services to support individuals transitioning from treatment to the workforce. Earlier this year, Senator McConnell also helped secure more than $4.6 billion to comprehensively address this scourge by directing resources towards prevention, treatment, and enforcement efforts. This is the largest funding response to the substance abuse crisis to date.