Long Island job fair to help nonprofits hire social service workers

A job fair slated for next week aims to help Long Island nonprofits serving the poor and people with needs find the workers they desperately need to offer social services to the region’s most vulnerable.

The Health and Welfare Council of Long Island will be hosting its first nonprofit industry job fair Wednesday to help health and human services organizations find employees amid an ongoing worker shortage.

The group, an umbrella organization that works with over 150 area nonprofits, connects in-need Islanders with social service programs like state health insurance, SNAP food stamp benefits and temporary rental assistance.

“People are absolutely desperate for talented applicants because there’s such a workforce shortage on Long Island,” said Rebecca Sanin, president and CEO of the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island.

Around 70 nonprofit organizations and colleges are scheduled to attend the hiring event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Yes We Can Community Center, 141 Garden St. in Westbury.

Employers scheduled to attend include the Association for Mental Health and Wellness, Catholic Charities of Long Island, DDI, Family Service League, Life's WORC, and Options for Community Living.

Sanin said the demand for health and human services providers has only grown more dire since the pandemic began.

Local nonprofits focusing on domestic violence, mental health, food insecurity and developmental disability have faced increased difficulty in finding workers since the pandemic, leaving employees at those organizations facing heavier workloads.

Food insecurity, financial instability, mental health problems, accessing housing, and substance abuse issues have all been exacerbated since the pandemic, Sanin said, resulting in a greater need for social service providers already pushed to the edge.

“There are a lot of challenges associated with the pandemic that are going to continue for many years,” she said. “We need folks who are interested in serving their communities to know about the opportunities in the nonprofit sector.”

Registration for the event is encouraged but not required for job seekers. For more information on the event and to register as either a job seeker or employer, visit bit.ly/3TBVJDz.