Rapid Response Community Resource Fair

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

The San Bernardino County Workforce Development Department (WDD) responded to a request for assistance from the Director of Operations of manufacturing company, United Furniture Industries (UFI) in November 2022, just days before the Thanksgiving holiday. A company notification was sent to over 300 employees who were abruptly laid off without advance notice, so services were desperately needed to help the former UFI workers with employment transition assistance. Without advance notice available through the usual Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act which, in the state of California, requires employers to provide a 60-day notice to affected employees, local officials, and workforce development boards, the WDD staff sprang into action to provide relief based on the limited information that was available. To serve the 300 impacted employees that were abruptly laid off, the WDD Business Service Team knew it would call for a new approach to reach the employees. A new Rapid Response Community Resource Fair was quickly developed to offer services through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), community resources, and local business partners. Creating the new event helped ensure workers, who were laid off, gained access to workforce services to connect them quickly to new employment.