In addition to their efforts to help Puerto Rican families find and pay for housing, Catholic Charities is set to step up and help them in another critical area: helping them find well-paying jobs.

FEMA assistance for Hurricane Maria survivors may have been extended for a few more weeks, but families are still feeling the pressure to find housing and a well-paying job as soon as possible. 

As we first reported, Catholic Charities is helping dozens of families by finding and paying for their housing

In addition, they're organizing a job fair for the families to address their long-term futures. 

Hurricane Maria survivor Yahaira Rivera is finally getting back on her feet after finding a job two weeks ago.

“I'm a chef and I found a job as a cook at a Puerto Rican restaurant,” she said. 

Other evacuees, unfortunately, haven’t been as successful with the job search. The diocese hopes the job fair, which will be held from noon to 3 p.m. at 2021 E. Busch Boulevard in Tampa, will go a long way towards helping those who have struggled with finding employment finally find that much-needed job.

“The only challenge that we’re facing with that is that [the families] don’t speak English,” said Catholic Charities case manager Sue Arline. 

The hope is that the families will have a steady income to keep paying for their housing once they get it, as is the case with Yahaira, who was nearly homeless just a month ago.

Today, she's ready to start her new chapter in Florida. 

“I’m still in the hotel, but thank God I’m getting the keys to my new apartment today,” she said.