Hundreds attend Saint Sabina Church job fair, where UPS hired on the spot

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Hundreds turned out Wednesday as Saint Sabina Church hosted a job fair on Chicago's Far South Side.

Some people were even hired on the spot.

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Aerianah Turner Vega said getting hired would be a total game changer.

"Right now I'm down to four hours a week at work, and I need something a little better than four hours a week," Turner Vega said.

The 33-year-old said it's hard to make ends meet with her part-time job. She was among those who came to Saint Sabina's fall career and resource event, looking for opportunities.

"We're going to make sure that everyone in the community has an opportunity to get employment," said Don Jones, with the Saint Sabina employment resource center.

A young mother of two, Chayla Husser, has been unemployed since relocating from Georgia, and needs a job so she can support her 4- and 5-year-old.

"I'm trying to find something more career-wise, something like law enforcement. So, they had everything here today," Husser said.

Raaheem Ramsey has two part-time jobs, but wants to level up to a full-time position to support his 6-year-old triplets.

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"It's only a two-minute bus, two buses I have to take. So, it's right around the corner from where I am at," Ramsey said.

Wednesday's event was one of two job fairs the church holds in its community space every month.

Through the end of the year, the resource center hopes to surpass the roughly 1,300 people they helped become gainfully employed last year.

Organizers say this isn't just a regular job fair, it's an event meant to address some of the barriers to help people get good-paying jobs.

Forty employers were on-site Wednesday, including the city of Chicago, banks, grocery stores, manufacturers and others. UPS hired on the spot for warehouse positions.

"By the end of the application, they're going to have a start date and time, as long as the background comes through. All they do is show up, and they get hired," said Jacquelin Garcia, a UPS talent acquisition specialist.

Saint Sabina's Father Michael Pfleger said companies at the job fair are required to have currently available jobs, ranging from entry-level to management, even for those who have had contact with the criminal justice system.

"People want to work, but you've got to reach out to the people. You've got to come into the community, and you've got to offer them real jobs," Pfleger said.

The four-hour-long fair saw nearly 600 applicants, including David Walker, who hopes his attempts at getting a good job won't be in vain.

"It's kind of been a struggle. It's a lot of people applying for the same position; so, I just have to wait my turn for right now," Walker said.