Where to get hired in Cleveland? (with transportation issues)
June 8, 2023 5:27 PM Subscribe
Trying to help someone in East Cleveland find a desperately needed job with minimal travel costs, both for getting the job and getting to work.
A young black woman is desperate to find work in Cleveland, but faces two obstacles.
First, she is scared to walk far around her neighborhood so both job-hunting and working require taking rides which she doesn't have much money for. Second, she has several times walked into a business, been asked to come back, returned for an interview, been offered a job - and then they've ghosted her. This has wasted time and money. She's running very low on funds and is on the verge of unwillingly doing sex work.
She lives in East Cleveland near Lockwood Ave. She has no specific skills and doesn't love waiting or retail, but is willing to do anything at the moment to dig herself out of this hole. She can't move right now as that would cost money she doesn't presently have.
FWIW, the background is that she left a bad situation in her home town and is now staying with a distant family member. She's running out of favors and loans. She worked for a few weeks in a fast-food chain but her ride fell through and she didn't have enough money left from her previous week's wages to pay for rideshare. She registered for some temping agencies but they couldn't offer anything that she could travel to.
Advice like "just walk from business to business and see if they're hiring" doesn't help, since that's what she started out doing and it left her in the situation she's in now. She needs more specific suggestions, such as "Business X is very close to there and always hiring" or "Take the subway to Y stop, it's safe and there are dozens of places around there who need staff". Other specific ideas also welcome!
A young black woman is desperate to find work in Cleveland, but faces two obstacles.
First, she is scared to walk far around her neighborhood so both job-hunting and working require taking rides which she doesn't have much money for. Second, she has several times walked into a business, been asked to come back, returned for an interview, been offered a job - and then they've ghosted her. This has wasted time and money. She's running very low on funds and is on the verge of unwillingly doing sex work.
She lives in East Cleveland near Lockwood Ave. She has no specific skills and doesn't love waiting or retail, but is willing to do anything at the moment to dig herself out of this hole. She can't move right now as that would cost money she doesn't presently have.
FWIW, the background is that she left a bad situation in her home town and is now staying with a distant family member. She's running out of favors and loans. She worked for a few weeks in a fast-food chain but her ride fell through and she didn't have enough money left from her previous week's wages to pay for rideshare. She registered for some temping agencies but they couldn't offer anything that she could travel to.
Advice like "just walk from business to business and see if they're hiring" doesn't help, since that's what she started out doing and it left her in the situation she's in now. She needs more specific suggestions, such as "Business X is very close to there and always hiring" or "Take the subway to Y stop, it's safe and there are dozens of places around there who need staff". Other specific ideas also welcome!
If she left a DV situation, I'm wondering if a DV agency might be able to help with job hunting or other resources. I know this isn't exactly job help but it's just a thought.
posted by rglass at 7:17 PM on June 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by rglass at 7:17 PM on June 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
so both job-hunting and working require taking rides which she doesn't have much money for.
She needs to be looking into public transportation, and she's actually in a good location for that. Lockwood Avenue proper runs between Euclid and Superior Avenues, just west of where those two streets intersect. Euclid and Superior are two of the major east-west routes in the city, running from the east side all the way downtown, and they both have buses that run almost 24 hours a day. So she would have relatively easy access to a large part of the city, and would not have to walk far.
#3 - Superior
Euclid Ave. Healthline (which runs every 15 minutes most of the time)
Also not far from Lockwood are two stops for one of our light rail lines, the Red Line which runs east to west all the way across the city. The Superior Station is very close, and the terminus of the Red Line is just a short way east on Euclid, the Stokes-Windermere Rapid station.
Red Line
How to Ride (Note that "all day" ($5), "7 day" ($25), and "monthly" ($95) passes are good for unlimited rides per day, anywhere any time.)
East Cleveland (which is technically a separate city from Cleveland) is in pretty bad economic shape, so it's not surprising that jobs are hard to come by there. Just a little west of her location right along Euclid is University Circle, which is one of the major hubs of the city, with colleges, museums, hospitals & health care facilities, and many food and retail businesses to serve the people who work and live there. That would be one of the first areas I would be looking for work. (just as one example, here's a listing I found for a guest services representative at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, which doesn't pay great but looks like it requires almost no experience.)
Not far up Superior Ave you get into Cleveland Heights, specifically Coventry Village, one of our little boho areas with a lots of shops and restaurants that might be looking for help.
Somewhat longer term, the East Cleveland Public Library (not far east down Euclid) offers some job skill training, and the Cleveland Public Library (main branch downtown on Superior Avenue) offers job and career counseling services.
One of the groups the library partners with is Ohio Means Jobs, a statewide program connected with the Department of Jobs and Family Services (a.k.a. the state's unemployment benefits department). So that's another place for her to search for jobs right now. OhioMeansJobs has an office downtown by Cleveland State University, easily accessible via RTA - the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Transit Center is a bus hub that's a block away. Although most of her job searching via OMJ can be done online.
posted by soundguy99 at 8:51 PM on June 8, 2023 [7 favorites]
She needs to be looking into public transportation, and she's actually in a good location for that. Lockwood Avenue proper runs between Euclid and Superior Avenues, just west of where those two streets intersect. Euclid and Superior are two of the major east-west routes in the city, running from the east side all the way downtown, and they both have buses that run almost 24 hours a day. So she would have relatively easy access to a large part of the city, and would not have to walk far.
#3 - Superior
Euclid Ave. Healthline (which runs every 15 minutes most of the time)
Also not far from Lockwood are two stops for one of our light rail lines, the Red Line which runs east to west all the way across the city. The Superior Station is very close, and the terminus of the Red Line is just a short way east on Euclid, the Stokes-Windermere Rapid station.
Red Line
How to Ride (Note that "all day" ($5), "7 day" ($25), and "monthly" ($95) passes are good for unlimited rides per day, anywhere any time.)
East Cleveland (which is technically a separate city from Cleveland) is in pretty bad economic shape, so it's not surprising that jobs are hard to come by there. Just a little west of her location right along Euclid is University Circle, which is one of the major hubs of the city, with colleges, museums, hospitals & health care facilities, and many food and retail businesses to serve the people who work and live there. That would be one of the first areas I would be looking for work. (just as one example, here's a listing I found for a guest services representative at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, which doesn't pay great but looks like it requires almost no experience.)
Not far up Superior Ave you get into Cleveland Heights, specifically Coventry Village, one of our little boho areas with a lots of shops and restaurants that might be looking for help.
Somewhat longer term, the East Cleveland Public Library (not far east down Euclid) offers some job skill training, and the Cleveland Public Library (main branch downtown on Superior Avenue) offers job and career counseling services.
One of the groups the library partners with is Ohio Means Jobs, a statewide program connected with the Department of Jobs and Family Services (a.k.a. the state's unemployment benefits department). So that's another place for her to search for jobs right now. OhioMeansJobs has an office downtown by Cleveland State University, easily accessible via RTA - the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Transit Center is a bus hub that's a block away. Although most of her job searching via OMJ can be done online.
posted by soundguy99 at 8:51 PM on June 8, 2023 [7 favorites]
Unfortunately it looks like Lyft Up hasn't expanded to Cleveland yet but she should call 211 and see if there is a local program.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:07 PM on June 8, 2023
posted by Jacqueline at 11:07 PM on June 8, 2023
This person might want to reach out to United Way of Cleveland and relevant organizations mentioned here.
On RTA's Red Line there might be jobs at/near the following: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, West Side Market, Tower City, Case Western Reserve University, and University Hospitals Main Campus.
On RTA's HealthLine there might be jobs at/near the following: Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic Main Campus, University Hospitals, and University Circle.
University Circle might be of particular interest to your friend since it is near East Cleveland, yet it will feel "worlds away."
Places around the universities may be looking for summer staff since presumably a lot of their student employees are gone for the summer. Indeed.com postings include which public transit stop is near by (if there is one).
posted by oceano at 11:34 PM on June 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
On RTA's Red Line there might be jobs at/near the following: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, West Side Market, Tower City, Case Western Reserve University, and University Hospitals Main Campus.
On RTA's HealthLine there might be jobs at/near the following: Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic Main Campus, University Hospitals, and University Circle.
University Circle might be of particular interest to your friend since it is near East Cleveland, yet it will feel "worlds away."
Places around the universities may be looking for summer staff since presumably a lot of their student employees are gone for the summer. Indeed.com postings include which public transit stop is near by (if there is one).
posted by oceano at 11:34 PM on June 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Towards Employment should be her first contact. They provide employment seekers with individualized and small group guidance regarding jobs, transportation, and training. For example, they developed with University Hospitals (just down Euclid along the HealthLine) "Step up to UH" which focused on residents of surrounding neighborhoods (including East Cleveland) to help them start and develop careers.
posted by Avogadro at 4:11 AM on June 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Avogadro at 4:11 AM on June 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
E. Cleveland is close to both University Hospitals and Cleveland's Clinic's main campuses. I work for the Clinic, they are desperate for entry-level clinical positions (phlembotomy and pharmacy tech) and have apprentice models for now. Im aware she has more short-term needs, but this might be a future goal in a few months.
Ohio has a special election this August, the Cuyahoga County board of Elections needs some short-term temps in all departments. It's $15 an hour, 35 hours a week, and with the election schedule, she could stay on for the November election. It's on Euclid Avenue right on a major bus line. She must be a registered voter.
She could also apply for front desk type positions at the Clinic's/UH main campus as most suburbanites don't want to work there due to distance/parking issues. I believe it would be a pretty easy bus ride.
Here's the link for the phlebotomy program: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/pathology/medical-professionals/school-phlebotomy#overview-tab
posted by greatalleycat at 7:08 AM on June 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
Ohio has a special election this August, the Cuyahoga County board of Elections needs some short-term temps in all departments. It's $15 an hour, 35 hours a week, and with the election schedule, she could stay on for the November election. It's on Euclid Avenue right on a major bus line. She must be a registered voter.
She could also apply for front desk type positions at the Clinic's/UH main campus as most suburbanites don't want to work there due to distance/parking issues. I believe it would be a pretty easy bus ride.
Here's the link for the phlebotomy program: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/pathology/medical-professionals/school-phlebotomy#overview-tab
posted by greatalleycat at 7:08 AM on June 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
If she can pass a FBI/BCI background check, child care centers are desperately hiring. I'm not actively looking and I get contacted from employers via indeed all the damn time. OCCRRA participates in the TEACH program and will pay for you to get your CDA if you want. If she's interested she can contact me.
posted by kathrynm at 3:28 PM on June 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by kathrynm at 3:28 PM on June 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
https://www.usajobs.gov/job/729503400
It's an entry-level clerical/customer service job that provides entry into the Federal ecosystem and is located downtown (and thus an easy bus route.)
posted by gwydapllew at 4:38 PM on June 9, 2023
It's an entry-level clerical/customer service job that provides entry into the Federal ecosystem and is located downtown (and thus an easy bus route.)
posted by gwydapllew at 4:38 PM on June 9, 2023
Somewhat longer term, but this just hit my inbox from The Land (a local Cleveland non-profit journalism project) - Free Training to become a Community Health worker.
"The federal government has recently invested in growing the CHW workforce, and scholarships are now available to train Clevelanders interested in becoming community health workers. In September 2022, the Biden administration put $225.5 million in American Rescue Plan dollars toward training 13,000 community health workers across the country. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded the funds to 83 grant recipients.
The MetroHealth System received a nearly $3 million grant, which it’s using to train a total of 240 CHWs at Tri-C, Cleveland State University, and Kent State University at no cost to students over the course of three years. So far, 57 students supported by the grant have completed the program.
Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED certificate, but a college degree is not required. Pay for CHWs varies by the employer but typically ranges from $20-$35 an hour. "
posted by soundguy99 at 5:28 AM on June 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
"The federal government has recently invested in growing the CHW workforce, and scholarships are now available to train Clevelanders interested in becoming community health workers. In September 2022, the Biden administration put $225.5 million in American Rescue Plan dollars toward training 13,000 community health workers across the country. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded the funds to 83 grant recipients.
The MetroHealth System received a nearly $3 million grant, which it’s using to train a total of 240 CHWs at Tri-C, Cleveland State University, and Kent State University at no cost to students over the course of three years. So far, 57 students supported by the grant have completed the program.
Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED certificate, but a college degree is not required. Pay for CHWs varies by the employer but typically ranges from $20-$35 an hour. "
posted by soundguy99 at 5:28 AM on June 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks so much for all those great suggestions, I'm really grateful. I collated them, passed them on in digestible chunks and encouraged her to try some of them. In the end, nothing much happened which was frustrating although she did start work at a fast food place a long bus ride away. Our conversations also faded out.
She's now re-established contact with me and it turns out that she was using meth most of this year which explains a lot of her behaviour earlier. She's now back in her home town, in a bad living situation but she's off the drugs and starting a factory job in the new year. It's not great, but at least she's not on meth any more.
Thanks again. Despite the not-ideal ending hopefully the answers to this question will help others who find it via Google searches etc.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 3:43 PM on December 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
She's now re-established contact with me and it turns out that she was using meth most of this year which explains a lot of her behaviour earlier. She's now back in her home town, in a bad living situation but she's off the drugs and starting a factory job in the new year. It's not great, but at least she's not on meth any more.
Thanks again. Despite the not-ideal ending hopefully the answers to this question will help others who find it via Google searches etc.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 3:43 PM on December 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
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