Governor Abbott Announces $30M National Dislocated Worker Grant From The U.S. Department Of Labor For Texans Impacted By Hurricane Harvey
Governor Greg Abbott today announced the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) has been awarded a $30 million National Dislocated Worker Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to provide funding to create temporary jobs for eligible individuals to assist with cleanup, recovery and humanitarian efforts in areas impacted by Hurricane Harvey. These grants will be administered in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and local officials in affected communities.
"Texas' most valuable resource is its people, and these grants will go a long way in getting our people back to work,” said Governor Abbott. "In this time of need, I want to make sure Texas families have what they need, as well as ensure a swift and effective recovery process, and these grants will help us accomplish both of these urgent matters.”
“We will build partnerships and offer services to assist dislocated workers, respond to the needs of Texas businesses and rebuild Texas communities impacted by Hurricane Harvey,” said TWC Chairman Andres Alcantar. “These funds will support our efforts, including those of our local workforce boards, to build and deploy a broad range of responsive strategies to meet the needs in our local communities.”
TWC has been working with local workforce development boards, known as Workforce Solutions, to determine the needs in the areas most heavily impacted by the storm. Workforce Solutions Alamo, Coastal Bend, Deep East Texas, Golden Crescent, Gulf Coast, Rural Capital Area and Southeast Texas will identify and place dislocated workers into temporary employment opportunities to assist with cleanup efforts. Disaster funds will also be used to help displaced Texans return to full employment as quickly as possible.
“As we continue our efforts to restore our communities in the aftermath of one of the worst natural disasters our country has ever seen, I am dedicated to ensuring our state resources and services are provided to impacted employers, individuals and communities,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Ruth R. Hughs.
“These funds will provide tremendous assistance to workers affected by Hurricane Harvey as we continue to assist Texans during these recovery efforts,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez.
For more information on disaster recovery resources from TWC or to locate a Workforce Solutions office, visit www.texasworkforce.org.