Bredesen Announces Job Creation Plan for Hancock County
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 | 07:42am
Effort to Combat Unemployment Targets County with High Unemployment Rate
NASHVILLE - Governor Phil Bredesen today announced a plan to reduce unemployment in Hancock County by putting up to 100 people back to work using federal dollars available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Hancock County has had one of the state’s highest unemployment rates – 17.8 percent in November – for the past three months and includes 430 currently unemployed residents.
“We are continuing to place emphasis on targeted jobs packages that create employment opportunities in some of our hardest-hit counties,” said Bredesen. “Putting people back to work is one of the primary goals of the Recovery Act and I’m pleased the state can bring this assistance to Hancock County residents impacted by this economic downturn.”
The 100 positions include government and private sector employment opportunities that will be funded through September 2010 by Recovery Act dollars allocated to the Tennessee Department of Human Services. These positions include 50 highway maintenance worker positions within the Tennessee Department of Transportation and 50 positions that will be filled primarily by private sector companies seeking to hire additional staff.
Residents of Hancock County must meet certain income and asset requirements to be eligible for these positions. To be eligible, a family’s income cannot be greater than 133 percent of the federal poverty level ($2,030/month for a family of three), and their liquid resources cannot exceed $2,000. In addition, residents must have a child younger than 18-years old living in their household.
Approximately 1,800 residents of Hancock County who have contacted the Tennessee Career Center at Rogersville for employment services in the past 12 months will begin receiving letters today informing them of the job creation program. Eligibility criteria and an application are included in the mailing. Those interested are encouraged to complete and return the application as soon as possible. A job fair for eligible applicants whose applications are received by January 19 will be held later in the month.
The jobs program announced today is similar to the program announced in May for Perry County, which had the state’s highest rate of unemployment at that time. More than 400 unemployed individuals found jobs as a result of that effort. At the Perry County announcement, Bredesen stated his desire to make this a model that could be implemented in other high unemployment counties and subsequently announced a similar program in December targeting hard-hit Lauderdale County.
“The goal of this effort is to use Recovery Act funds to provide assistance where it’s needed most, Bredesen said. “Our state’s economy continues to suffer and thousands of Tennesseans are struggling to make ends meet. We’ll continue look for creative ways to assist counties with high rates of unemployment.”
Hancock County residents who need unemployment assistance can contact the Tennessee Career Center at Rogersville, located at 1112 East Main Street in neighboring Hawkins County, or call (423) 272-2661.
###