US Department of Labor awards $2.5M in incremental funding to continue disaster-relief jobs, training services for people affected by Maui wildfires

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an incremental award of $2.5 million to Hawaii to continue employment and training services, and support disaster-relief jobs for people in communities harmed by severe wildfires that swept across the island of Maui on Aug. 8, 2023. 

In the late summer of 2023, the department’s Employment and Training Administration responded by announcing the award of Disaster Recovery Grant funding of up to $21 million, with an initial award of $10.5 million, to assist with cleanup and recovery activities. With this incremental funding, the total awarded for the project is $13 million. 

This Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant allows the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to provide people with temporary jobs focused on cleaning up debris and repairing damage caused by the fires, as well as providing employment and training services to wildfire survivors. 

Supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, National Dislocated Worker Grants provide a state or local board with funding for direct services and assistance in areas experiencing a major economic dislocation event that leads to workforce needs exceeding available resources.