April 2023 PAR Newsletter: Financial Literacy In Recovery
Happy April leaders and supporters!
With the rainy weeks of April on the horizon, what better time to dive into some personal and professional development opportunities? April is Financial Literacy month at PAR and we will be sharing events and content that you can utilize for you, your staff, and those you serve.
March was an especially busy month at PAR. We ended the 2023 Kentucky General Assembly session with some great wins this year. We were able to work collaboratively with those from the Kentucky League of Cities, Kentucky Recovery Housing Network’s Advisory Board, and the treatment industry to put forward a robust piece of legislation, HB 248 that will regulate Recovery Residence’s in the commonwealth. The Governor, Andy Beshear signed this bill into law on March 24th. The great part – we are already doing this!! If you have volunteered to be a certified Recovery Residence through the Kentucky Recovery Housing Network (KRHN), you have already done the work! More details over the next few months on those who will need to be certified which will be shared by KRHN and/or the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
Additionally, we supported HB 353, which decriminalizes testing strips (like fentanyl test strips) in the commonwealth. The great point behind this is it will allow for more access to harm reduction tools that will save lives. On the last day of the 2023 General Assembly session, the Senate and House held a conference to come to a compromise for the bill. It was signed into law by the Governor on March 31st. There was a few other bills that PAR supported that will impact our community, like HB 21 which allows for unhoused individuals to gain access to obtaining an ID without a permanent address (shout out to the incredible work of the Coalition for the Homeless!).
Still, more work is to be done. Some bills that we supported did not make it through and others made it through that will detrimentally impact the health, mental health, and safety of our young people. PAR is committed to holding safe spaces for all people from all walks of life and identities. Know that with us at, PAR, YOU are safe and welcome.
We are excited for the work ahead! We have some incredible opportunities to get involved and learn more about leadership and advocacy. We have opened up applications for the Michael E. Townsend Leadership Academy. This is a 12-month commitment with a total of three retreats, a three-day workshop series and two single day retreats. Please email us for more details. We have also started our Rally for Recovery committee! We meet every other week. There are a lot of opportunities to get involved and learn from incredible leaders in the Recovery space. We look forward to seeing you and supporting you into the Spring!
In solidarity,
-Tara Hyde