By Marlena Slowik

The Philadelphia Unemployment Project (PUP) is a membership organization of low-wage workers and the unemployed. PUP has fought for jobs and for economic justice since their inception in 1975.  They offer a wide array of free services to the unemployed and underemployed in Philadelphia or anywhere else in the region for that matter.  And you don’t have to be a member to attend meetings or workshops or participate in their services.

One of the services offered is a 10 workstation computer lab to help assist in the job search and the creation of a cover letter and resume. Phones are also available to call potential employers and fax machines are available to fax your resume.  

The Job Club is a group that meets every Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the PUP offices at 112 N. Broad Street in Center City. This group acts as a support group for anyone looking for full-time and part-time employment but also is a source for leads and advice on the job search as well as interviewing skills and career options. A Job Developer is available to work one-on-one with job seekers to create an effective resume and review interviewing skills. Employers are often invited to workshops to speak with job seekers and give them advice on job openings and their job search. It’s also a great place to meet and network with other similarly situated job seekers and you can just drop in to this group.

Another great service is Commuter Options, which provides car and van pool services to help Philadelphians commute to their suburban employers. At present, 20 vans transport 90 people each day to their employment sites in the surrounding counties. The cost is $6 a day.  In many cases, these residents would not be able to continue their jobs without this reliable and reasonable transportation. Without this option, these employees might spend over 3+ hours commuting to their jobs outside the city using multiple public transportation options and involving long walks and be cost prohibitive.

In addition to all of these great services, PUP has been at the forefront of advocacy for economic justice, lobbying for legislation to help the unemployed and those facing foreclosure. As noted on their website, PUP “took on the sub-prime foreclosure crisis which forced millions into foreclosure.  We fought for unemployment benefits and public jobs programs.  We later pressed for foreclosure protections for families with prime mortgages forced into default by long term unemployment. As a result of our actions, several programs to aid homeowners and the unemployed were put into place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the nation.  PUP’s organized unemployed workers, staff and coalition partners made concrete gains for families victimized by the harsh economy by winning jobs and foreclosure protections.” 

The following programs were enacted through PUP’s organizing efforts:  Philadelphia Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion program, Pennsylvania Way to Work Subsidized Jobs Program and the Federal Emergency Homeowner Loan Program. PUP’s efforts also resulted in halting Sheriff’s sales to give homeowners time to  stay in their homes over the holidays in 2010 until HUD was able to implement EHLP, which is a special program aimed to help homeowners who are facing foreclosure as a results of unemployment.

PUP has really made a difference in the lives of many in Philadelphia and the surrounding communities. According to PUP’s Director, John Dodds, their mission is to “try to help everyone make it through hard times.  Everyone should have a job or a way to maintain their lives until the job market recovers.”  Visit their website at www.philaup.org or stop in and see what PUP has to offer or how you can get involved in their advocacy programs.