ARC’s Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) awarded $11.5 million to 39 grantees working to address Appalachia’s substance use disorder crisis. Each project makes a unique contribution to local, state and regional recovery ecosystems, which are complex – but critically needed – webs connecting peer support, health and human services, faith communities, criminal justice, housing, education, transportation and more.
Out of the nine states impacted by the September 2024 awards, Tennessee has emerged as the most-awarded! The $1.1 million in INSPIRE funding for Tennessee will support nine projects across 25 counties – that’s 48 percent of Appalachian Tennessee.
Among the awardees are three planning grants that will develop thoughtful strategies for recovery services in and around Knoxville. Together, these plans will guide future projects and programming to help more Tennesseans re-enter the workforce and contribute to their communities.
Assessing Knoxville’s Recovery Ecosystem
Many INSPIRE grantees start with a planning process to help them identify gaps and opportunities in their community’s recovery-to-work ecosystem. That’s exactly what the University of Tennessee-Knoxville will do, as they use $50,000 in INSPIRE funding to assess workforce needs and current services in the recovery-to-work ecosystem in five Knoxville-area counties (Campbell, Claiborne, Cocke, Morgan, and Scott). The evaluation will also identify recovery-friendly employers, emphasizing the manufacturing industry, to establish more recruitment pipelines for individuals in recovery.
The assessments will inform one planning report for each county, detailing opportunities to improve the current ecosystem and areas to grow in the future. This information will be used to better connect individuals with support services and meaningful work at recovery-friendly employment locations.
Building Bridges in the Recovery Ecosystem
Though support services are key to recovery ecosystem, it is perhaps more important to seamlessly connect those offerings across providers. The Knoxville Academy of Medicine Foundation will use a $25,300 develop a plan focused on improving the links between health-related providers and services in Knoxville’s recovery ecosystem, including health navigation, primary care and social services.
The plan – which will include a map of recovery community assets, recovery employment data and an evaluation of community network readiness – will be based on the expertise of Knoxville’s existing recovery-to-work partners who are already removing barriers and bolstering opportunities. Such partners will include KnoxWorx, Angelic Ministries, the Knoxville Area Project Access, Tennessee Community Resource Network and the Vitality Initiative project.
Recovery Support in Long-Term Care Facilities
Using $50,000 of INSPIRE funding, LeadingAge Tennessee will conduct a needs assessment and develop a comprehensive plan addressing SUD among seniors in LTC facilities. This will include exploring education and training needs for LTC employees on how to prevent, treat, and screen for SUD in their care population.
ARC is proud to support recovery-to-work projects in Tennessee and across the region through our INSPIRE Initiative. From assessments and plan development, to using that guidance and bringing community-rooted programs to life, our INSPIRE partners are building recovery ecosystems that will help Appalachians not only survive and recover from substance use disorder—but thrive in a stronger, healthier regional future.
Learn more about the $11.5 million INSPIRE package announced on September 18, 2024 at the Land of Sky office in Asheville, North Carolina. The package supports 39 recovery-to-work projects in communities across nine Appalachian states.
