CDFA Announces Nonprofits Awarded Recovery Friendly Workplace Grant Funds

Organizations will Leverage Resources to Deliver Programming to New Hampshire Businesses

(Concord, N.H.) – The New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) announced it has awarded nearly $1 million in grant funds to support five nonprofit organizations in delivering Recovery Friendly Workplace programming.

Nonprofits awarded funds to implement Recovery Friendly Workplace programming include:

  • Greater Seacoast Community Health / SOS Recovery Community Organization (Somersworth);
  • Headrest, Inc. (Lebanon);
  • Makin’ It Happen Coalition for Resilient Youth, Inc. (Greater Manchester);
  • Reality Check, Inc. (Jaffrey); and
  • Navigating Recovery of the Lakes Region (Laconia).

“The Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative demonstrates New Hampshire’s ability to work with public and private partners in a collaborative approach to solving the challenges facing our communities,” stated Katherine Easterly Martey, Executive Director, CDFA. “The ingenuity of the nonprofits awarded funding to advance this work will demonstrate how New Hampshire’s Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative can provide a roadmap for stakeholders that will empower workplaces to create healthy, safe and supportive working environments.”

New Hampshire’s Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative, led by Governor Chris Sununu, encourages an environment where employers, employees, and communities can collaborate to create positive change and eliminate barriers for those impacted by addiction. To learn more about the Initiative or becoming a Recovery Friendly Workplace, visit: https://www.recoveryfriendlyworkplace.com.

“By fully engaging employers as allies in the battle against the opioid epidemic, we are making huge strides in turning the tide against addiction,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “Employers need workers, and those in recovery need jobs. By countering addiction stigma with accurate and important information about addiction and recovery, workplaces can create a recovery friendly environment that will promote a culture that does not discriminate against those with substance use disorder. In New Hampshire, we’re setting an example.”

CDFA held a competitive grant round earlier this year and received nearly $1.2 million in funding requests to support nonprofits throughout New Hampshire in delivering Recovery Friendly Workplace programming to organizations within their communities.

CDFA was allocated a one-time appropriation to administer funds on behalf of the State of New Hampshire to support the Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative. Recovery Friendly Workplace programs include those that:

  • Educate employers in evidence-based practices that demonstrably reduce substance misuse in the workplace;
  • Create work environments that are conducive to enabling persons in addiction and mental health recovery to sustain and re-enter the workforce as productive members of society;
  • Train employees, including specialized training for human resources personnel, on these matters;
  • Raise public awareness and provide information that supports health and safety for employees; and
  • Promote active community engagement that will assist in reducing the negative impact of unaddressed substance misuse and untreated mental health.

In the last two years, CDFA has awarded more than $4 million in resources to organizations delivering services within the public health continuum of care, including those within the mental health and substance use disorder sectors. These investments focused financial and technical assistance resources on bricks and mortar projects – purchase of property, construction, expansion, rehabilitation, renovations, etc. CDFA also has a long history of building the capacity of nonprofit organizations throughout the state.

To learn more about CDFA, its impact on New Hampshire communities, and available funding resources, visit www.nhcdfa.org.

About the Community Development Finance Authority

The Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) is a statewide nonprofit public authority focused on maximizing the value and impact of community development, economic development and clean energy initiatives throughout New Hampshire. The organization leverages a variety of financial and technical resources, including the competitive deployment of grant, loan and equity programs. Those resources include New Hampshire state tax credits, federal Community Development Block Grant resources and the CDFA Clean Energy Fund. For more information about CDFA and its programs visit www.nhcdfa.org or call 603-226-2170.

About the Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative

Led by Governor Chris Sununu and launched in March 2018, the Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative promotes individual wellness for Granite Staters by empowering workplaces to provide support for people recovering from substance use disorder. With the right training and resources, workplaces can help prevent substance misuse and support their employees’ recovery. Designated Recovery Friendly Workplaces will:

  • Demonstrate a commitment to creating a recovery friendly environment.
  • Promote a culture that reduces the stereotypes associated with substance use disorder.
  • Enhance workplace safety while improving productivity and profitability by addressing behavioral health issues head-on.

Recovery Friendly Workplaces encourage an environment where employers, employees, and communities can collaborate to create positive change and eliminate barriers for those impacted by addiction.

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Contact: Melissa Latham, CDFA / mlatham@nhcdfa.org / (603) 717-9107