Bredesen Announces Job Creation Plan for Lauderdale County
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 | 09:21am
Effort to Combat Unemployment Targets County with State's Highest Unemployment Rate
NASHVILLE – Governor Phil Bredesen today announced a plan to reduce unemployment in Lauderdale County by putting up to 175 people back to work using federal dollars available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Lauderdale County has had the state’s highest rate of unemployment – 18.9 percent – for the past three months and includes 1,930 currently unemployed residents.
“This jobs package will put people back to work and provide some much needed assistance to these residents who are feeling the effects of this economic downturn,” said Bredesen. “One of the primary goals of the Recovery Act is to put people back to work, and I’m glad the state can bring this assistance to Lauderdale County residents during these tough times.”
The 175 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 125 positions that will be filled primarily by private sector companies seeking to hire additional staff.
Residents of Lauderdale 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 3,300 unemployed residents of Lauderdale County who have contacted the Tennessee Career Center at Ripley 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. Applications are due back to the Career Center by Monday, January 4, 2010, and a job fair for all eligible applicants will be held approximately two weeks later.
The jobs program announced today is similar to the program announced in May for Perry County, which, at the time, had the state’s highest rate of unemployment. More than 450 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.
“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.”
LauderdaleCounty residents who need unemployment assistance can contact the Tennessee Career Center at Ripley, located at 301-C Lake Drive in Ripley, or call (731) 635-3479.
The jobs program announced today is similar to the program announced in May for Perry County, which, at the time, had the state’s highest rate of unemployment. More than 450 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.
“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.”
LauderdaleCounty residents who need unemployment assistance can contact the Tennessee Career Center at Ripley, located at 301-C Lake Drive in Ripley, or call (731) 635-3479.
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