A workforce-focused recovery program aimed at helping residents rebuild their lives is expanding in Chattooga County and across the region after Highland Rivers Behavioral Health was awarded a $1 million grant to grow its recovery-to-work efforts into all 13 Northwest Georgia counties it serves.

The funding is part of a larger $13.4 million regional initiative supported by the Appalachian Regional Commission’s ARISE program (Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies). Highland Rivers CEO Melanie Dallas said employment is often the missing link that helps people maintain long-term recovery.

“As much as clinical services and support are important for individuals to achieve recovery, having a job is a critical part of maintaining a life in recovery,” Dallas said.

The grant will strengthen Highland Rivers’ Workforce Connect Recovery Friendly Workplace initiative, which connects people in recovery with job pathways while also encouraging employers to become recovery-friendly workplaces—an approach Dallas says can help businesses fill positions while supporting stable, reliable employees.

Highland Rivers previously piloted employer engagement efforts in Polk, Haralson, Murray, and Whitfield counties through an INSPIRE grant. Now, with ARISE funding, the program will expand across the agency’s entire service area, including Chattooga County, alongside counties such as Floyd, Gordon, and Bartow.

Highland Rivers will receive the $1 million over five years and will also lead a coalition of six Georgia Community Service Boards focused on building stronger recovery-to-work systems and employer partnerships statewide.