SOMERS - The University of Wisconsin-Parkside has been awarded a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wisconsin, announced Friday.

The grant is being awarded to Parkside's Nonprofit Development program to help expand the program to focus on work force development and economic recovery, Kohl said in a release.

This type of investment is needed in Kenosha and Racine counties, Kohl said, where unemployment is high and the closing of the Chrysler plant poses a critical economic threat for the entire area.

In June, Kohl supported Parkside's grant application. The grant will allow Parkside to develop a self-sustaining model to continue these programs in the future, Kohl said. Parkside's Nonprofit Development program is part of the university's Center for Community Partnerships.