Congresswoman Summer Lee Announces $1 Million in Federal Support to Expand Childcare and Job Training for Recovery Programs in PA-12

**For Immediate Release**

Kyla Gill, Kyla.Gill@mail.house.gov 

Vaibhav Vijay, Vaibhav.Vijay@mail.house.gov 

Congresswoman Summer Lee Announces $1 Million in Federal Support to Expand Childcare and Job Training for Recovery Programs in PA-12

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Summer Lee (PA-12) is proud to announce $1 million in combined funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to support two critical programs in Allegheny County aimed at helping individuals in recovery access job training, employment, and childcare support.

Congresswoman Summer Lee, celebrating the funding, emphasized the importance of centering people and communities in all recovery efforts:

“The fight for a more just and equitable future starts with ensuring that every person—no matter their circumstances—has access to the resources they need to rebuild their lives and prosper. These investments in childcare and job training are about removing the barriers that too often hold people back, especially those recovering from substance use disorders. By investing in our recovery ecosystem, we’re not just helping individuals get back to work—we’re helping our communities grow stronger, more resilient, and more connected. This funding will empower people across our district to rebuild their lives, support their families, and create a brighter future for themselves and their communities.”

The first grant of $500,000 will be awarded to Allegheny County for the Child Care Access for Recovery-to-Work Opportunities project. This initiative will create free, readily available childcare slots in regulated childcare facilities for individuals participating in substance use disorder (SUD) recovery programs, enabling them to access employment and job training opportunities. The project aims to assist 100 workers/trainees and improve 15 businesses, establishing a sustainable pipeline of childcare and employment support as participants transition into permanent roles. In addition to ARC funding, $500,000 in local contributions will bring the total investment in this program to $1 million.

The second grant of $500,000 will be awarded to Pennsylvania Women Work for the ReWork – Empowering Recovery and Career Success program. This project will focus on providing intensive career development, skill-building, and mentorship to individuals in recovery. With this grant, 294 workers/trainees (192 professional skills developed/102 placed) and 60 businesses will be improved to better serve and employ individuals in recovery.  By partnering with recovery facilities, ReWork will offer wraparound services that include career advancement resources, ensuring participants have access to long-term recovery and professional success. With local contributions of $521,775, the total funding for this program amounts to $1,021,775.

Both initiatives are part of ARC’s Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative, designed to address Appalachia’s substance use disorder crisis through strategic investments that expand recovery services and create pathways for workforce re-entry.

With Allegheny County disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis, and communities in South Pittsburgh facing high instances of employment barriers due to substance use, these projects offer hope and tangible pathways to recovery and economic empowerment.

For more information on these programs and other ARC initiatives, visit www.arc.gov.

About the Appalachian Regional Commission

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments, focusing on 423 counties across the Appalachian region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest in building community capacity and strengthening economic growth in Appalachia to achieve socioeconomic parity with the rest of the nation.

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Since taking office in January 2023, Lee, who serves on the House Oversight Committee and Space, Science and Technology Committee, has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $1.85 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 2,600 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.