United Way of Greater Los Angeles Partners With U.S. and Los Angeles Chambers of Commerce for Hiring Our Heroes Los Angeles Job Fair for County's Homeless Veterans

LOS ANGELES, June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- United Way of Greater Los Angeles is partnering with the U.S. and Los Angeles Chambers of Commerce in connecting 1,500 veterans and their spouses to 200 employers at the Hiring Our Heroes Los Angeles Job Fair at Sony Pictures Studio. The royal newlyweds are scheduled to join the event during their visit to California and will participate in creating care packages for military children as well as attend a special reception for supporters and champions of the cause.  

"We are honored to be a part of this national endeavor to recognize and support our nation's heroes by connecting our military veterans with potential jobs and career opportunities," said Elise Buik, president and CEO, United Way of Greater Los Angeles. "As part of United Way's work to create pathways out of poverty through housing and financial stability we are pleased that our corporate and housing partners can provide this critical service to our military heroes."  

The job fair is an extension of United Way's work with the Business Leaders Task Force and Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce to end chronic and veteran homeless in L.A. County by 2016. The plan, called Home For Good, focuses on placing homeless individuals into permanent supportive housing in order to provide long-term solutions for a stable and prosperous future. Currently the county has 7,400 of the most vulnerable veterans and the fair aims to help over 1,000 with potential job and career placement.

"We know how difficult it is for anyone looking for employment in today's economy," stated Craig Robinson, President and General Manager of KNBC-TV.  "That's why we're so committed to helping our community by working with partners like United Way to help low-income adults learn important job skills, helping to create a path to well-paying jobs."  

Hiring Our Heroes Los Angeles Job Fair will take place on Sunday, July 10 from 9:00am- 4:00pm and is set to make a significant difference in California with over 100,000 veterans seeking jobs. Several key organizations are working together to ensure this is a premier event for the 200 employers and 1500 veterans and military spouses expected to attend including: Department of Labor Veterans' Employment and Training and Service (DOL VETS), Department of Defense's Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP), Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), Employment Development Department (EDD) of the State of California, and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).  

Media who are interested in on-site coverage of this event can email [email protected].  A confirmation email will be sent if space is available to accommodate the news organization.

About United Way of Greater Los Angeles

United Way of Greater Los Angeles is a nonprofit organization that creates pathways out of poverty by helping homeless people move into housing, providing students with the support they need to graduate high school prepared for college and the workforce, and helping hard-working families become financially stable. United Way identifies the root causes of poverty and works strategically to solve them by building alliances across all sectors, funding targeted programs and advocating for change. For more information, visit www.unitedwayla.org.

SOURCE United Way of Greater Los Angeles