Georgia Department of Community Supervision hosts job and resource fair in West Point

Published 4:37 pm Thursday, June 20, 2019

WEST POINT — Jobs and information about resources in Georgia were available Thursday afternoon at the West Point Technology Building.

The Georgia Department of Community Supervision hosted the fair with several employers, staffing agencies and resource providers to give out information to residents on the west end of the state.

Chris Walker, community coordinator for the State of Georgia Department of Community Supervision in the Coweta Judicial Circuit, said the resource providers were from throughout the state and the staffing agencies were mostly from West Point and LaGrange.

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“We just wanted to bring it to them, so they don’t have to come to LaGrange to get it,” Walker said.

Transportation is an obvious barrier for some individuals, he said.

“We recognize that transportation is tough and we want to reduce barriers to the people we serve,” Walker said. “Any barriers we can help knock down, like transportation, is a plus.”

He said people also need to know where to go when there is a family crisis or how to get help with utilities when times are hard.

“We want to be able to provide that to them,” he said.

Among the providers at the resource fair were Behavior Health Link, which has a contract with the state to provide crisis response service.

Tiara Ward, community relations education coordinator with Behavior Health Link, said there is a mobile response team that will go to wherever a person is located if they are suffering from mental health problems, substance abuse or intellectual disability distress. She said teams have met people on the side of the road and at gas stations.

As part of the organization’s contract with the state, it has 59 minutes to arrive at the location of the call to provide help.

“It is a much faster endeavor than going to the hospital where they focus on medical needs,” she said. “Instead of sitting in the waiting room for hours, we will be there within 59 minutes.”

Walker admitted the attendance was low Thursday, but he was encouraged some people showed up. He said he hopes the word will spread about future job and resource fairs, leading to better numbers.

“We are looking to be more involved in West Point,” he said. “We need them to know there are opportunities for people in West Point. It is not just a LaGrange thing.”