TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday assured those who battled drug addiction that the next push in his fight against the problem is to work with business leaders to get former addicts back in the workforce.
The governor, speaking at a roundtable at the Rescue Mission of Trenton, said he’s on schedule to host a gathering of business groups next month to discuss ways to hire people struggling to find work.
In Christie’s ongoing tour around the state listening to harrowing stories from people who battled with drug addiction, the governor once again heard one of the largest obstacles people in recovery face is finding work.
He was told employers won’t hire them based of their past, which often times has included time spent in prison.
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“You’ll see, in March, we’re bringing these folks together,” Christie said. “If the private sector is not willing to hire these folks we’re not going to have enough government jobs to … help get these people back on their feet.”
Christie echoed the stories he’s been told by people since announcing during his State of the State address last month he would dedicate his last year in office to tackling drug addiction and the stigma surrounding it.
The governor said “there are two really difficult periods” in someone’s path to recover: The first is is accepting help and “the second period is after they accepted help, they’re in recovery” and then they say “I want a life,” and they need help.
Christie first announced plans for a “Employment Opportunity Summit of the business, legal, and human resources executives” during his State of the State.
Governor Christie talks addiction at Rescue Mission of Trenton
Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook.
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