Turnaround Houston aims to help jobless
Program is latest in city’s annual ‘March on Crime’
The city of Houston plans to host several employment resource fairs in the coming months as part of an effort to increase job opportunities for residents, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Wednesday.
The program, called Turnaround Houston, is the latest component of Houston’s annual “March on Crime” initiative.
“There is a part of our city that is in dire need of assistance, and it’s our responsibility to ensure that they are plugged in to vital resources and become a part of our city’s success,” Turner said. “We want to eliminate the barriers to employment by offering a road map to a brighter future.”
Each of the fairs will cost about $6,000 and accommodate about 500 people, with services including résumé writing, tattoo removal and job training. The city anticipates launching the program using $8,000 left over from a 2014 job fair, and the Port of Houston and Houston First are slated to cover the remaining expenses.
The first of four or five events is scheduled for March 26 in Sunnyside, where Turner spoke two weeks ago about the need for community buy-in to curb violence.
Turnaround Houston is intended to dovetail with other city efforts, including the Health Department’s community re-entry program and Councilman Dwight Boykins’ “Second Chance” job fair, which seeks to pair those who previously were incarcerated with employment opportunities.
“Partnering with Turnaround Houston will allow us to expand the array of community partnerships and stakeholders that we can bring to bear a holistic approach for those men and women who need the kind of supports to stay out and to not re-offend,” said the Health Department’s Marlene McNeese, who oversees the re-entry program.