ST. LOUIS — More than a week before Christmas, the sudden closure of Northview Village Nursing Home displaced more than 170 residents and left more than 180 employees without a job.
Those employees were not paid the wages they earned.
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In response to this upheaval, the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) is stepping in to provide support to those affected.
"We are heartbroken around the abrupt closing of Northview Village Nursing Home because it has been a cornerstone in our community for many years. We are even more devastated for the residents and workers to be without jobs and residence right before the holiday season; however, as the employment and training entity for the City of St. Louis, SLATE stands ready to connect those dislocated workers to employment opportunities to ensure they can continue to provide for themselves and their families beyond this unfortunate incident," said Fredrecka McGlown, SLATE's executive director.
Emergency job fairs have been organized to assist these workers:
- One event will take place on Friday, Dec. 22
- The other is Wednesday, Dec. 27
- Both are at 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., located at 1520 Market St, 1st Floor Conference Room, St. Louis, MO 63103
- Parking is available at the nearby Kiel Center Garage with validated parking tickets upon presentation
Confirmed employers participating in these fairs:
- A.O.S.
- Avalon Gardens
- BJC
- City of St. Louis Department Of Health
- City of St. Louis Department Of Personnel
- DelHaven
- SLPS
- Smiley Manor
- UCity Forest Manor
- Union Manor
Shannon Johnson, SLATE’s executive assistant, said, "We are there for support. I would say come prepared with your resumes, dress to impress, get ready to interview and get a job."
Beyond these fairs, the SLATE Missouri Job Center is at 1520 Market Street, 3rd Floor, Room 3050, operating from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information regarding SLATE’s services for unemployed individuals in St. Louis, visit their site here.
Donations
Days following the closure, elected officials and organizers have come to together to form a fund for impacted workers.
This includes Alderwoman Sharon Tyus, Committeeman Sterling Miller, State Senator Karla May, State Senator Steve Roberts, State Rep. Marlene Terry, Chair of the MO Legislative Black Caucus, State Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, State Rep. Kimberly-Ann Collins, Reverend Darryl Gray and Ollie Steward.
The group created a 'Northview Village Displaced Workers Fund', which will be held at the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri.
The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri will not take an administrative fee to administer the fund.
The donors will receive a tax acknowledgment from the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri.
Tyus donated $5,000 of her own money to support.
"The callousness of it and no notice of it, I’ve never experienced anything like that so I started calling people. I’m going to put my money and my purse where my mouth is. Five dollars count, a dollar counts, every bit counts because these people haven’t gotten a check in almost a month now," Tyus said.
Here is a direct link to donate.
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