Job fair for homeless community to be held this Thursday

November 17, 2020 | 12:10 am

Updated November 17, 2020 | 1:38 am

Graphic by Owensboro Times

The Owensboro Youth Empowerment Summit (OYES) will be hosting a job fair for the homeless from 11 a.m.-noon this Thursday at the Daniel Pitino Shelter. Various temp agencies will be available to help attendees apply for opening positions. 

OYES President DeMarcus Curry said he came up with the idea of holding a job fair last week when he noticed an increasing number of homeless individuals gathered on Owensboro streets and sidewalks. 

“I was driving past the grocery store and saw at least 10-15 homeless people in the street. Without question, the homeless population here is definitely growing,” he said. “We have never seen this many out in the area. I thought, ‘What can I do to get them some work?’” 

Curry said he reached out to as many temp agencies as he could to see if they were interested in the idea. As many as five local agencies said they were excited about the idea and would be at the event on Thursday. 

He said he thought temporary work would be a good fit for many of those in the homeless community. 

“The Daniel Pitino Shelter hosts a lunch drive every Monday through Friday, and they said it would be the perfect opportunity to let [those who eat there] know about the event ahead of time,” Curry said. “The temp agencies I spoke to said there were always openings available.” 

One temp agency will hold a meet-and-greet for those interested in jobs while another will bring applications and help people apply. 

Curry said some people he’d talked to had questioned the validity of temp agencies and whether they’d be beneficial in helping the homeless community. However, as someone who started out in a temp agency and worked his way up, Curry said temporary positions could lead to numerous opportunities. 

“I’m a living example that you can work your way up,” he said. “We’re close to winter and I want to do something to help those in need.” 

November 17, 2020 | 12:10 am

Share this Article

Other articles you may like