Released by Congressman Neal Dunn’s Office …
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Labor has announced an additional $3,333,334 for a Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant. This has been a prioritized project of Congressman Neal Dunn, M.D., who represents Florida’s 2nd Congressional District. This grant will be awarded to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity in response to Hurricane Michael, which made landfall in Florida-02 in October 2018.
“I am thrilled that the Department of Labor has released these funds. Our district has been through so much between recovering from Hurricane Michael and facing stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 outbreak, and this will be a much-needed boost to continue our recovery efforts,” said Rep. Dunn. “As we continue to rebuild, I remain committed to keeping my constituents employed and our economy stable.”
Dislocated Worker Grants temporarily expand the service capacity of dislocated worker training and employment programs at the state and local levels by providing funding assistance in response to large, unexpected economic events that cause significant job losses. This specific grant will prevent hundreds of residents from being laid off.
“We are grateful for the additional funds awarded for Hurricane Michael recovery. We have 216 workers funded through this grant in three counties and our partners need these workers to continue with this massive recovery effort. We still have a long way to go, but these funds will help us move forward,” said Kimberly Bodine, Executive Director of CareerSource Gulf Coast.
“This funding is tremendously important for our community,” Bay County Commission Chairman Philip “Griff” Griffitts said. “Not only will it help continue our efforts to rebuild what Hurricane Michael damaged, but it will also help keep people employed during these difficult and unprecedented times. We are very grateful for the continued support of our federal and state governments.”