NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Greater Heights Missionary Baptist Church in North Nashville will host a job fair Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the community. Although the job fair is open to anyone interested, it will have a special focus on those who have once been incarcerated.
37208, a North Nashville zip code, has the highest incarceration rate in the country, but the hope is providing job opportunities will change that.
That statistic comes from a 2018 study from the Brookings Institution, which also lists the male unemployment rate in that neighborhood to be 11 percent.
This job fair is a partnership with the American Job Center and the church's WRAP program — Working Resources Assisting People. The program focuses on helping those impacted by the justice system with upward mobility.
Terri Davis, the WRAP employer coordinator, said this is done by getting those individuals into careers they care about and see a future in.
"An idle mind is the devil's playground," said Davis. "You have something to do, you have income. You don't have a reason to maybe even be in a place that can get you into trouble. Because I have something to do, I gotta go to work, I gotta get up in the morning, my kids, my family."
Some of the employers that will be there include FedEx, WeTransit, Slim&Husky's and the Sheriff's department.
There will also be career professionals on-site to help people build their resumes.
