Emergency COVID-19 Layoff Aversion Grants Now Available through Illinois Department of Commerce

To support small employers through the COVID-19 national health emergency, the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has announced the availability of new U.S. Department of Labor WIOA grant funding for layoff aversion, planning and rapid response.

While the new funding excludes employee wages and benefits, allowable uses include:

• Cleaning/sanitation services;
• Computer software/hardware to support remote working, covering costs since the stay-at-home order was issued on March 20;
• Other costs associated with remote working; and
• Cross-functional and/or transitional training, e.g. employers moving to two shifts to accommodate social distancing.

Download 19-NOT-02 program Notice of Funding, Application and FAQ here. For more information, contact Kankakee Workforce Services, c/o Dana Washington, dwashington@kcc.edu.