Marlyon Spann, left, and Rachel Smith fill out paperwork to be considered for work on the Harriet Tubman demolition project at the Chattanooga Housing Authority office on Hotlzclaw Avenue in Chattanooga on Thursday.
The former Harriet Tubman Homes site in East Chattanooga is seen from Missionary Ridge.JOB TRAINING LOTTERYChattanooga will register people who live in the 37406 ZIP code for a job training lottery from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the following locations:• Urban League, 730 E. M.L. King Boulevard• Hope for the Inner City, 1800 Roanoke Ave.• City of Chattanooga Social Services, 501 W. 12th St.Applicants must register in person and bring a government-issued ID such as driver's license, passport or state ID to registration.
Gerald Hubbard's driver's license was revoked because he's behind paying child support. He says he's behind because he has no transportation to a steady job.
But by the end of this month, Hubbard hopes that cycle will end.
The 53-year-old father of four was among fewer than two dozen residents of public housing or the Housing Choice Voucher program who attended a meeting at the Chattanooga Housing Authority on Thursday to learn about jobs in East Chattanooga paying $18.75 an hour.
"I can get my license back, handle my business and be a part of society again," said Hubbard.
The job is the demolition of the Harriet Tubman housing development site in his East Chattanooga community. If he's hired, Hubbard said he'd walk to work.
The company chosen for the demolition, Environmental Abatement, agreed to hire 12 people to recycle bricks and to pay them $18.75 an hour. The work will last five to six months. Employees will pick up bricks, knock off the mortar and stack them on pallets.
"This is an opportunity to help them move toward self-sufficiency," said Carol Johnson, CHA's director of resident services. "To go from minimum wage to $18.75 an hour really helps a family."
So far nearly 400 people have asked for one of the 12 positions. The city will register applicants today and hold a lottery drawing at noon Monday on the third floor of City Hall.
City officials will choose 30 applicants to attend a four-day training session scheduled Sept. 12, 18, 19 and 22. The 30 people selected will be called on Wednesday and will receive letters in the mail, said James McKissic, the city's director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Environmental Abatement will select 12 hires from the 30 who complete the training.
Five agencies will assist people who weren't selected for the Tubman demolition to find jobs elsewhere. Those who go through the four-day training will get certifications that will assist them in getting employment with any company, said McKissic.
Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 757-6431.