County Disaster Relief Employment Program Still Hiring

Through a National Emergency Grant from the United States Department of Labor, the Bergen County One-Stop Career Center has coordinated hiring efforts to help clean up still-present damage from Hurricane Irene.

The Disaster Relief Employment Program pairs unemployed individuals with municipalities in need to help clean debris or remove property damaged by the storm. Eleven people are presently working under the program in Lodi and New Milford, and up to twenty-five more will be employed by three to four other municipalities in the next two weeks.

Participating workers can earn up to $12,000 and work up to about 1,000 hours. The work is temporary in nature, with the grant stating that the program must end by February 29, 2012.

With the deadline looming, Salvatore Mastroeni, Director of the Bergen County One-Stop Career Center, said, “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.”

The workforce pool is screened to see if individuals are able to work under the grant’s hiring criteria (must be long-term unemployed or displaced from home due to Hurricane Irene, as well as pass a background check) and are matched with the municipality’s workforce needs. The grant funds pay for the employee’s salary, as well as a $300 stipend to cover any necessary equipment or transportation costs.

For more information about the Bergen County One-Stop Career Center or the Disaster Relief Employment Program, please visit www.onestopbwc.org or call Barry Lowe at (201) 329-9600, ext. 5527.