I’m standing inside the Oakland Coliseum, looking at what was once the Warriors basketball court. But today, the arena floor is taken over by vendors offering jobs and resources.
"I am here to do the job fair to possibly find permanent employment."
Erica Nicole McBride is a mother of four from Oakland who is in a job training program through the county.
"I was going through homelessness," McBride says.
And she says she experienced domestic violence: "And I wanted to be able to get back on my feet, cause I felt like I was at the bottom."
Erica’s housed now. But she’s exactly who this job fair is for.
"We're never gonna turn away anyone who's looking for a job. So, although the target population is the unhoused and unsheltered, it's for everyone."
That’s Antoinette Burns, with Alameda County. She says there are veteran services, literacy programs, showers, even a place to get new clothes so folks can have on-the-spot interviews.
"And then of course we have the mobile washers and dryers so that they're able to bring their clothes, at least they leave with clean clothes. We also have a barber here for grooming, right? So that people can get a quick grooming. They can get assistance with resume, take the headshot."
Alameda County held the first of these job fairs in July of 2024. Employers from non-profits to national corporations showed up. The Post Office is here. So are Southwest Airlines and Safeway. And hundreds of people came out.
"You may not be job-ready today, but there are some services here that you can benefit from that will help you with whatever you may need in life," Burns says. "Then, well, next year you may be job-ready because you were able to come here and tap into some services that you may not have been aware of to get you on that path."
And Erica Nicole McBride has been doing the rounds and has some advice: "You know, to me it's a no brainer. Yeah. Come."
The next Homeless Resource & Job Fair will be held in January.
