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Local Jobs and Hiring was launched this summer in conjunction with the opening of the Mississippi Market on E. 7th Street. Since Mississippi Market Co-op announced E. 7th Street would be the site of its new store, Dayton’s Bluff Community Council challenged Mississippi Market management to support the diverse community needs and interests on the East Side. Living wage, local hiring, and culturally representative product lines all became key discussion points in determining if and how the Market would fit into the community.
So when Mississippi Market Co-op announced over 75 new jobs needed to staff the E. 7th Street location, we committed ourselves to connecting local residents to these opportunities. We created a new network; one designed to connect local residents to real job opportunities and equip them with immediate and individualized support to be successfully hired. We organized two hiring events that preceded a Mississippi Market Hiring Fair. By canvassing and leafletting over 700 homes and talking directly to over 100 residents, DBCC organizers brought 55 people to the first meeting and 64 to the second. Mississippi Market representatives gave an overview of the co-op, and Merrick Social Services and Goodwill-Easter Seals supported candidates through the application and interview processes. Hosted at the East Side Enterprise Center, residents got help translating parts of the application and practiced in mock interviews. Everything was tailored to the needs of the people and the jobs they were seeking. 24 of the 43 first day hires were Dayton’s Bluff residents who were overwhelmingly from communities of color.