Union County expands opioid settlement aid for recovery jobs

Union County put another slice of opioid settlement money into the hardest stretch of recovery, approving $2,086 to help people leaving addiction or incarceration move into steady work. The funding went to Susquehanna Valley Mediation for tools and training tied directly to reentry employment, a move that treats a job as part of recovery, not an afterthought.

Commissioners approved the spending at a public meeting in mid-June 2026. Two line items made up the award: $1,000 for Honest Jobs Reentry Navigator Platform subscriptions and $1,086 for training community reentry mentors. The money was aimed at people rebuilding their lives after substance use disorder, incarceration, or both, with the goal of helping them find jobs, prepare for interviews and deal with the stigma that can follow a criminal record or treatment history.

That focus matters in Union County, where transportation, housing and support systems can all be barriers to staying employed. A platform built for reentry and mentors trained to walk alongside people in recovery can make the difference between a short burst of progress and a stable return to the workforce. In a county where many residents live and work across small communities such as Lewisburg and Selinsgrove, even a modest employment setback can quickly ripple through a family.

Susquehanna Valley Mediation said it was founded in 2010 and offers mediation, facilitation, training, education and programs that support recovery and reentry. That background helps explain why commissioners turned to the nonprofit for this round of settlement spending. The county’s decision also reflects a broader view that opioid dollars can do more than fund treatment alone. They can help people stay in recovery by giving them a way back into regular employment and the routine that comes with it.

The June vote followed a larger $92,000 allocation in May 2026 for Transitions of PA, which was approved for recovery-oriented advocacy and workforce training tied to support for survivors of violence. Together, the two spending decisions show Union County using settlement dollars for stabilization, reentry and workforce support as part of a wider recovery strategy.

Pennsylvania’s opioid settlement framework gives counties major power over how the money is spent, and that local control has come under heavier scrutiny as advocates and journalists press for more transparency. With the state’s settlement pool described at roughly $2.2 billion over time, even small county-level votes carry weight. In Union County, the latest approval ties public money to one practical question: how people in recovery get from surviving to earning a living.