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The Bergen County One-Stop Career Center has matched up the unemployed laborers with municipalities that need cleaning debris or removing property damaged by the storm.
Eleven are already working in Lodi and New Milford under the Disaster Relief Employment Program, and up to twenty-five are set to fill slots in a few other municipalities by the end of the month.
Although the federally-funded program ends Feb. 29, 2012, workers can earn up to $12,000.
“We think the Disaster Relief Employment Program is a great initiative and we hope that more towns request temporary workers to help with their clean-up efforts,” said the career center director, Salvatore Mastroeni.
To qualify, workers must be long-term unemployed and not receiving unemployment compensation or other types of income support, or displaced from home due to Hurricane Irene. They also must pass a background check.
The U.S. Labor Department grant funds pay for the employee’s salary, as well as a $300 stipend to cover any necessary equipment or transportation costs.
If you qualify and are interested, call Barry Lowe at (201) 329-9600, ext. 5527
County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan said the positions were created through a partnership among the county’s Workforce Investment Board (WIB), FEMA and the Bergen One-Stop Career Center, with funding provided by a U.S. Department of Labor National Emergency Grant.
After the initial six-month employment period, the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development will reassess conditions to see if additional help is needed.
MORE: OneStopBWC.org
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