KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City-area housing experts are holding a virtual career fair for tenants struggling with unemployment.
The event comes during a period when unemployment benefits are expiring and August rent or mortgage is due.
“We keep hearing the fact that tenants can’t get a two-bedroom apartment living on minimum wage and we agree. And so it’s like, what can we do about that?" said Stacey Johnson-Cosby.
Johnson-Cosby is with KC Regional Housing Alliance. The organization is sponsoring the job fair along with Mid-America Association of Real Estate Investors, Landlords, Inc. and WinVestors.
Johnson-Cosby said there's a variety of career options available that offer pay starting at $15 an hour up to $30 an hour and more.
“We have maintenance and repair-type jobs and some of them pay like $25 an hour and without a degree," Johnson-Cosby said. "We have jobs across all experience levels and all education levels and across all industry. So there’s a little something for everyone.”
Johnson-Cosby said the jobs available at the virtual career fair offer quality and a possible second chance for people now faced with the possibility of losing unemployment benefits, which are set to expire at end of July.
“This is an even better time for people to get out here and look for jobs and will help them at least hopefully match what they were making in unemployment or get close," she said. "And it’s not temporary, this is for the long-term. So someone can end up with a job that pays $15 to $20 an hour, whereas before they didn’t have anything close. This could change somebody’s life.”
The career fair will be held Thursday, Aug. 6, beginning at 8 a.m. More information on the event can be found online.
