Ride Free Area Ending, Solid Ground Free Downtown Circulator Bus

Are you a Metro bus rider? Do you take the bus downtown? You should know that the ride free area is ending soon, and that Solid Ground will be running a free downtown circulator bus.

The Ride Free Area in downtown Seattle is scheduled to end on Saturday September 29th. Starting September 29th, bus riders will pay when they enter the bus for all trips, including trips that begin and end within the Downtown Core. All riders will be required to pay a fare with cash, transfer, ORCA card or transit tickets. Passengers will enter through the front door and be encouraged to exit through the rear doors whenever possible to streamline boarding. Using an ORCA card is generally faster and more convenient than paying with cash.  Exceptions include RapidRide lines, which provide off-board ORCA readers at some transit stops; riders can board through all doors; some Downtown bus stops and tunnel stations will have Metro staff with hand-held off-board ORCA readers to help speed boarding to help keep buses moving.

Effective Monday October 1^st, Solid Ground will begin providing FREE rides on a Downtown Circulator Bus for people living on low incomes and those who access health and human services in the downtown area.  Two buses will drive a fixed route, Mondays through Fridays, stopping at each of the seven stops about every 30 minutes. The first bus will depart Stop #1 (Harborview Medical Center at 325 9th Ave) at 7 am, driving in a clockwise route through town. The stops will be as follows:

1. 9th & Alder

2: 4th & Yesler

3: 1st & Marion

4: 1st & Pike

5: 1st & Bell

6: 9th & Virginia

7: Boren & Seneca.

The last bus will depart Stop #1 at 4 pm. The stops will be identified by a sticker affixed to the standard Metro bus stop signs. Hours of service and location of stops are subject to change. This is a pilot project. For the latest Circulator route information, call 206.753.4801 or visit www.solid-ground.org/circulator where you will find a route map and stop descriptions. 

Worksource Job/Resource Fair & AT&T Hiring Event this Thursday 9/27

Greetings. If you or someone you know are looking for work, I want to let you know about  2 opportunities, this Thursday, the Downtown Worksource Job & Resource Fair from 10-2, and the AT&T Hiring Event at North Seattle WorkSource from 9-4.

At the Downtown Worksource Job & Resource Fair, a variety of local companies will be represented; bring your resume/ business cards, dress for success, and be prepared to discuss your qualifications for some exciting employment opportunities!  At this job fair, you'll find employers hiring for hundreds of positions in manufacturing, transportation & material handling, food service/hospitality, customer service and much more. Featured employers include:

·         Allied Barton Security

·         Amtrak

·         Chesterfield Services, Inc.

·         Express Employment Professionals

·         Fred Meyer

·         Goodwill Industries

·         Home Depot

·         King County Housing Authority

·         The Odom Corporation

·         Port of Seattle

·         ResCare

·         Safeway

·         Seattle Housing Authority

·         Sheraton

·         Sound Transit Police

·         Trident Seafood

·         Uwajimaya

·         VOLT

·         & MORE

There will also be social services agencies providing resources to help people find work, including Community Voice Mail. That’s the Downtown Worksource Job & Resource Fair this Thursday September 27, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Downtown WorkSource, 2024 3^rd Ave, Seattle, 98121. To attend, call or sign up at the WorkSource Affiliate Downtown Seattle front desk at (206) 436-8600. For more information contact: thuylinh@ywcaworks.org.

Also, this Thursday the 27th from 9 to 4, WorkSource North Seattle Affiliate is hosting a hiring event to help AT&T recruit many full- and part-time personnel. Connect to your career! Positions include: Sales support representatives, Managers, Assistant managers and Retail sales consultants for various locations in King County. The hiring event is going on all day from 9 to 4 at WorkSource North Seattle Affiliate at 9600 College Way N. in the OCE&E Building, Seattle, 98103. Email marnold@esd.wa.gov for an interview appointment.

Poverty Action Candidates Forum This Thursday

Join Statewide Poverty Action Network this Thursday and ask your candidates questions about where they stand on the issues that impact you most. The 2012 South Seattle Candidates Forum will take place this Thursday, September 20th  from 5:30 to 8pm at the Life Enrichment Bookstore in Columbia City! Invited candidates represent neighborhoods from Columbia City to Rainier Valley to Tukwila. This forum will give community members an opportunity to hear directly from candidates in the 37th and 11th legislative district, who are seeking to represent their voices in Olympia over the next 2 years.

This event is free and dinner will be provided. Children are welcome. We hope you will join us on Thursday to help to build political power in our communities. For more information call Poverty Action at 1.866.789.7726 or visit povertyaction.org.

Poverty Action is hosting three candidate forums for our members and the community. These forums will allow you hear directly from the candidates that are hoping to represent your community. Join us at the forums to hear their views on the issues you care most about. We are collecting questions from our members and asking the candidates where they stand at each of these events, making sure our priorities are represented this election season.
These forums are free and open to the public. Join us at one (or all!) of the following Candidate Forums in the Seattle and Tacoma:

SOUTH SEATTLE (37th & 11th LD):
Sept 20 at Life Enrichment Bookstore, 5:30pm
5023 Rainier Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98118

NORTH SEATTLE (43rd & 46th LD):
Oct 10 at Brettler Family Place, 5:30pm
1 62nd Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115

TACOMA (27th, 28th & 29th LD):
Oct 11 at Asian Pacific Cultural Center, 5:30pm
4851 South Tacoma Way Tacoma, WA 98409
 
Contact Senait at senait@povertyaction.org for more information or to RSVP

Veterans Job/Resource Fair & Bellevue Career Fair next week

If you or someone you know are looking for a job or resources to help you find work, I want to let you know about two job and resource fairs next week. On Tuesday the 18^th is the Bellevue Career Fair at the Red Lion Hotel Bellevue from 11 to 2. And on Wednesday the 19^th is the Job and Resource Fair for Veterans, National Guard, Reserve and Family members at the National Guard Readiness Center in Kent from 10 to 2.

On Tuesday, at the Bellevue Career Fair, hosted by National Career Fairs, you can meet face to face with top local employers. This event will showcase companies hiring in the following industries: Accounting/ Auditing,  Administrative and Support Services,  Advertising/ Marketing/ Public Relations,  Banking,  Consumer Products,  Customer Service and Call Center, Finance/Economics,  Financial Services,  Hospitality/ Tourism,  Insurance,  Real Estate/Mortgage,  Restaurant and Food Service,  Retail/Wholesale,  Sales,  and many more. That’s National Career Fairs’ Bellevue Career Fair from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Red Lion Hotel Bellevue at 11211 Main St., Bellevue, WA 98004. For more information visit their website www.ncfairs.com or call (702) 614-9537.

On Wednesday the Job and Resource Fair for Veterans, National Guard, Reserve and Family members there will be 54 employers looking to fill 510 open positions from Boeing, Puget Sound Energy, Weyerhaeuser and many more. Bring your resume. There will also be many social service resources there, including Community Voice Mail. Come meet your future employer network with agencies and other job seekers.  This is a free job fair focused on veterans, national guard, reserve and family members but it is open to the public. The Job and Resource Fair is from 10 am to 2 pm at the National Guard Readiness Center in Kent at 24410 Military Road, Kent, 98032. For a list of employers and to  spread the word, see the Job & Resource Fair flyer. For more information contact Rich Garmond at 253-512-1391 or email Richard.garmon@us.army.mil.

Good luck!

Seattle Stand Down for homeless veterans Wednesday 9/12

If you or someone you know is veteran and are homeless or at risk of homelessness, I want to let you know about the Seattle Stand Down next Wednesday September 12^th at Seattle Central Community College.

Homeless and at-risk Veterans and their families will be offered a “hand up” with a variety of services provided at the second annual Seattle Stand Down on September 12^th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Mitchell Activity Center on the campus of Seattle Central Community College, at 1718 Broadway.

The Seattle Stand Down will provide many free services for at-risk and homeless veterans such as medical and dental care, legal aid, employment services, housing resources, childcare, VA benefits assistance, counseling, financial services, resources for women veterans, haircuts, clothing and food, and Community Voice Mail. Free lunch will be included. The Seattle Stand Down is veteran led and community driven!

That’s the Seattle Stand Down, next Wednesday the 12th from 9 to 2 at The Seattle Central Community College’s Mitchell Activity Center at 1718 Broadway, in Capitol Hill. Seattle Central is easily accessible by metro bus routes 8, 9, 10, 11, 43, 49, and 60.  Please spread the word by distributing the Stand Down flyer.  For more information, please call 206.934.3881 or visit theseattlestanddown.com. Good luck!

Overcoming Barriers to Employment Summit & Resource Fair 9/10

If you or someone you know have a disability and would like to find employment, I want to let you know about the Overcoming Barriers to Employment Summit and Employment Resource Fair for People with Disabilities, next Monday September 10^th at Shoreline Community College from 9:30-3:30.

Are you over 16 years old with a disability or a parent with a disability seeking employment? The 2nd annual Overcoming Barriers to Employment Summit and Employment Resource Fair is designed to assist job seekers with disabilities navigate the road to employment. Shoreline Community College, Northshore/Shoreline Community Network, DVR North Office, and the City of Shoreline invite you to attend this summit and resource fair for persons with disabilities seeking employment. This event is intended to provide tools for people with disabilities to obtain employment, and opportunities for employers to become more informed about hiring people with disabilities.

In the morning from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the Overcoming Barriers to Employment Summit will include workshops on Interview preparation, Job Search on the Internet, Accommodations in the Workplace, Successful Job Applications, Employer Benefits for Hiring Individuals with Disabilities, and Secrets & Techniques to Finding the Right Job for You.  The keynote speaker will be Jelica Nuccio, first deaf-blind Director of the Seattle Deaf-Blind Service Center. Lunch will be provided following the workshops.

In the afternoon from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. an Employment Resource Fair will be offered.  There will be resource tables available with 25 businesses and/or service providers to offer job applications or assistance pursuing employment.  Community Voice Mail will even be there. Last year there were over 90 participants at the event, and they were very pleased with the information that they learned.  This year they would like to provide opportunities for the participants to have hands-on knowledge about employment opportunities and resources. 

The Summit will be in the Pagoda Union Building (PUB) at Shoreline Community College, 16101 Greenwood Ave. North, Shoreline, WA 98133. Shoreline Community College is served directly by King County Metro transit with stops right at the front walk of the campus. This service runs throughout the day approximately every half hour. The routes serving the campus are 330, 331, 345, 355, and 5.

The event is free but pre-registration is required. You can register on the internet at brownpapertickets. If you need assistance with registration or to request accommodations, please call (206) 546-4545.  Special accommodations, including interpreters, are available on request.  For more information see the Overcoming Barriers to Employment flyer. Good luck!