$4.3 Million to Help With Ike Disaster Employment Relief

(News release from Texas Workforce Commission)

Port Arthur, TX - The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) received approval from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for a $15.9 million National Emergency Grant (NEG) to fund temporary jobs in 29 counties impacted by Hurricane Ike. Southeast Texas has received $4.3 million of the grant for temporary jobs in Orange, Hardin, and Jefferson counties.

"These funds will afford the workforce board to provide temporary jobs to Southeast Texans devastated in the wake of Hurricane Ike," said Marilyn Smith, Executive Director, Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas. "The Board will be able to help hard working citizens support their families as they continue the process of rebuilding homes and restoring lives."

The National Emergency Grant funds will be used to provide wages and benefits to eligible Temporary Jobs participants for the next six months. Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas will coordinate with local and county governments and non-profit agencies to provide temporary jobs to dislocated workers, individuals who were unemployed and seeking employment at the time of the disaster, or those who do not currently have employment opportunities to return to because of the disaster. The NEG grant will also provide short-term reintegration counseling services to help residents of the storm-impacted counties address complex life issues that may have become barriers to employment.

Immediately following Hurricane Ike, Southeast Texas, in conjunction with TWC, began assisting residents of Jefferson, Hardin, and Orange counties in filing for Disaster Unemployment (DUA) benefits. The DUA provides assistance for workers whose employment, agricultural employment, or self-employment was lost or interrupted due to Hurricane Ike. Additionally, several workforce boards in the state assisted Southeast Texas workers displaced as a result of the disaster through mobile workforce centers.

Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas' Board evaluates and oversees the delivery of all workforce training and employment services in Hardin, Jefferson, and Orange Counties.  The Board's overall mission is to identify opportunities and create partnerships that effectively link employers and job seekers in order to improve the economic future of the area.

Employers and workers interested in temporary job opportunities or reintegration counseling services supported through NEG are encouraged to contact Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas at 1-877-834-JOBS.