Robert Mayweather wasn’t pressed to find a job Thursday night at the YMCA in West Philadelphia. However, he’s glad he satisfied his curiosity to “see what was going on.”
Mayweather was one of a few hundred people who passed through the doors of the YMCA for the District Attorney’s Office’s One-Stop Job and Resources Hub.
The hub opens up on the first Thursday of each month, in a different neighborhood each time. The goal of the event is to connect city residents in under-served neighborhoods with employers, trauma-informed professionals, victim services, housing options and an array of other essential services all in one place.
“I have a job,” said Mayweather, an electrician. “But in these days, it’s always a good idea to keep your eyes open. That’s why I came by — just to check it out. I thought this was just for job opportunities. But there are a lot of other valuable services here that people can benefit from.”
Next month’s hub will take place at a yet-to-be-determined location in South Philadelphia.
G. Lamar Stewart, a former Philadelphia police officer who joined the District Attorney’s office this past spring, launched a similar jobs program with the police department called Turning a New Corner (TNC).
However, TNC, also a mobile program, was focused mainly on connecting those in under-served areas to employers. The program placed a special emphasis on formerly incarcerated citizens looking for jobs.
The hub is a broader program focused on coalescing more services under one roof.
To read the full article by John N. Mitchell, click here.
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