See where your region stands and connect to free technical assistance
New to Connect Appalachia?
You may have received this page from a Connect Appalachia partner. Connect Appalachia is a five-year project that the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) funds and the Fletcher Group leads. In Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) gives free technical assistance to communities. CREC works with recovery programs, employers, workforce boards, and service providers so that people in recovery can find and keep jobs. Communities in other states can use this assessment and the Builder’s Guide at no cost.
Communities across the country are working to help people with substance use disorder succeed in their recovery and get (or keep) jobs. Use this self-assessment to see where you are in the process of building your Recovery-to-Work Ecosystem and get directed to resources from the Recovery-to-Work Ecosystem Builder’s Guide helping you take that next step.
This assessment takes about five minutes. Answer for your region as a whole. In the six Connect Appalachia states it is also how you request free technical assistance from CREC.
Grounded in Regional Work
The Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) built the Recovery-to-Work Ecosystem Builder’s Guide in partnership with the Development District Association of Appalachia (DDAA) with funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), working with local development district teams in eight regions from 2021 through 2023.
About Connect Appalachia Technical Assistance
Connect Appalachia is an ARC ARISE multi-state project led by the Fletcher Group, offering training in recovery-friendly workplace programs across six states (GA, KY, NC, TN, VA, WV). CREC provides technical assistance to communities on building Recovery-to-Work Ecosystems in the participating states. This form is the intake. Learn more about CREC and Connect Appalachia.
There is no cost to your region. Requests fall into three groups:
- Training and capacity building. Builder’s Guide training, employer and industry outreach, setup for recovery-friendly workplace certification, coaching and office hours, project development, and support with state agencies and policy.
- Facilitation and coordination. Ecosystem goal-setting sessions, cross-regional meetings, and employer engagement strategy.
- Research and analysis. Ecosystem mapping and stakeholder analysis, and regional industry analysis for recovery-friendly workplace work.
After you send your responses: a CREC team member reads your answers and sets up a short call. On that call you agree on the scope, the timing, and who takes part. Each engagement is shaped around what your region needs.
When you finish, you will have:
Where this sits in the guide
Last step: send your responses to CREC. This is how you request free technical assistance and how a CREC team member can follow up with your region.
Send my responses to CREC →