One Westside Contractors Look To Add Residents To Construction Workforce
- EJP
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
October 1, 2025
EJP partners with the Chattanooga Housing Authority and Columbia Residential on the Choice Neighborhoods One Westside initiative, which will bring 1,159 new, high-quality mixed-income homes to the Westside neighborhood in Chattanooga. Beyond the physical redevelopment, as program manager EJP works with local nonprofits and service providers to integrate supportive services for residents throughout the implementation process. A key focus includes strengthening Section 3 efforts to hire local residents and coordinating job training and job-readiness programs that help neighbors build skills and access long-term employment.
The Westside Community Center served as the site of a job fair last Tuesday, for Section 3 workers, Chattanooga Housing Authority residents, and College Hill residents.
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The job fair was hosted by BLOCK Companies, One Westside Phase 1 General Contractor, and aimed to fill general labor, trainee, and entry-level roles in the construction of One Westside.
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Also supported by the Chattanooga Housing Authority, City of Chattanooga, Colombia Residential, and Urban Strategies, Inc., the fair generated 83 job applicants and included contractors from the American Job Center, Evans Contracting, Talley, Berkel, KOS, Alup Construction, and HireQuest.
In addition to conversations with potential employers, the job fair also featured childcare, a dinner from Chatt Smoke House, and the opportunity to participate in prize drawings.
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BLOCK Companies and their subcontractors are committed to hiring Section 3 workers for at least 25% of labor hours on the One Westside development whenever possible. This job fair is the first in an anticipated series of events to develop the workforce of One Westside’s construction.