What is this strategy?
Fund programs offering employment support services to people in treatment or recovery, or people who use drugs, such as job training, job skills, job placement, interview coaching, resume review, professional attire, relevant courses at community colleges or vocational schools, transportation services or transportation vouchers to facilitate any of these activities, or similar services or supports.
Why employment related services?
Employment is a strategy in supporting people who use drugs. Not only does employment provide stable income which can decrease exposures to other negative social determinants of health such as lack of housing, food insecurity, lack of healthcare access, and exposure to environmental hazards in the built environment, but it also provides individuals with a sense of purpose and schedule. Like housing support, ensuring stable employment is key to establishing quality of life and empowering people who use opioids to reduce the harms of drugs.
Featured Resources
Complete List of Resources
The following resources have been compiled by the NC Department of Health and Human Services to help local governments better understand this strategy.
The resources below are organized by level.
Jump to: Introductory Resources | Intermediate Resources | Advanced Resources
Introductory Resources
NC Association of County Commissioners Webinar
A webinar that focuses on employment-related services with presentations from representatives of Surry County and Wilkes Recovery Revolution
How to Become a Recovery-Friendly Workplace
A webinar about ways to operationalize a more person-centered and trauma-informed workplace to support the health
Executive Order No. 158, signed by Governor Roy Cooper, eliminates employment barriers for individuals with criminal records
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
Explore annual employment, unemployment, and labor force data for states, counties, and many cities
Review of Individual Placement and Support Employment Interventions
A systematic review that evaluates and organizes the evidence of using employment interventions on adults with substance use disorders
Best Practices in Fair-Chance Enforcement
Key takeaways from San Francisco, Seattle, and DC’s fair-hiring laws
Intermediate Resources
Healthy North Carolina 2030
A common set of public health indicators and targets for the state over the next decade
American Community Survey (ACS)
The ACS helps local officials, community leaders, and businesses understand population-level changes taking place in their communities
Alcohol and Substance Misuse Resources
Resources from the CDC Workplace Health Promotion initiative about alcohol and substance misuse
Substance Use Disorders Recovery with a Focus on Employment and Education
This guide helps health care providers, systems, and communities support recovery from substance use disorders via employment
mechanisms
Toolkit: Addressing Opioids in Your Organization
This toolkit includes sample policies, fact sheets, presentations, safety talks, posters, white papers, reports, videos and more to help implement a workplace program on opioids
Fair Chance/Ban the Box Toolkit
A toolkit that discusses opportunities for opening jobs to individuals with records
Advanced Resources
Department of Justice Guidance on Protections for People with Opioid Use Disorder
An 8-page overview of the protections provided to people with opioid use disorder by the Americans with Disabilities Act
