Job retraining, foreclosure prevention among services offered Saturday at free Washtenaw County event
Accessing government services and help from nonprofits doesn't need to be intimidating, said Patricia Denig, interim director of Washtenaw County's Employment Training and Community Services office.
That's the philosophy behind the county's annual Joe Dulin Community Day, which will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the corner of West Michigan Avenue and Hamilton in downtown Ypsilanti.
More than 30 vendors will help residents get advice on how to pursue a job, avoid foreclosure or eviction, pay utility bills, get tested for HIV/AIDS and connect with community groups like the Ann Arbor Skatepark committee, Michigan Legal Aid and Literacy Coalition. The event is free and registration is not required.
"What we’re really trying to do is provide an opportunity for individuals that may need some type of assistance with a fair of a lot of the different county departments that provide human service programs, as well as a lot of our nonprofit partners in the community that do that," Denig said.
Among the most popular services is the assistance provided by the Washtenaw County office of Michigan Works!, a workforce development group that helps jobless residents apply for unemployment insurance, pursue job opportunities and get new skills.
"The economy isn’t rebounding as quickly as possible so there still is a great need out there," said Denig, who also directs Washtenaw's Michigan Works! office. "There are a lot of people in the community who have found themselves in a place they haven’t been before and they really don’t know who to reach out to."
Denig said the county expects about 1,000 people to attend.
A free meal will be provided to people who attend the community day, which is named after the former principal of local alternative school Roberto Clemente.
Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's newsletters.
Comments
KeepingItReal
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 2:23 p.m.
Its unfortuante that the County's job training program is offering a job fair this weekend when that very same organization does absolutely nothing to facilitate the employment of individuals who need their services. County 0fficials would do the taxpaying citizens of this community a service by officially eliminating this organization from, the county's payroll. This event is strictly a public relation activity that has absolutely no meaning for the intended populatio..
Alan Goldsmith
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 10:49 a.m.
Will anyone from SPARK be present to explain all their job creating successes partially financed by our tax dollars? Maybe they can drive over in their job provided vehicles.
lumberg48108
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 1:25 p.m.
Why must you insist I correct you time and again? 2010 Results: •1,425 new jobs committed through employers. •1,300 jobs posted on Ann Arbor SPARK's talent portal, by 400 companies. •Over 4,000 job seekers assisted with employment searches. •New talent initiatives included MichAGAIN, an effort to attract talent back to Michigan, and the continuation of popular programs, including Hot Shots and Mingle and Match. Ann Arbor SPARK's Business Accelerator, which provides qualifying start-ups with consulting and business development services, business and life science incubators, and entrepreneurial education and talent services, drove entrepreneurial growth and success in the region in 2010. •62 companies received business acceleration services, including business planning, marketing, patent and intellectual property acquisition, business introductions and funding preparation services. •60 companies were assisted as incubator tenants at Ann Arbor SPARK's Regional Incubator Network, including SPARK Central and East locations as well as the Michigan Life Science and Innovation Center. •42 companies received funding through the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund and the Michigan Microloan Fund Program, both administered by Ann Arbor SPARK. The combined total invested through the funds administered by Ann Arbor SPARK was $3,752,000.