(SUSSEX COUNTY, Del.) - The unemployment rate may have dipped in Delaware, but many people in Sussex County are still struggling to find work.
That was the reoccurring story Monday at a job fair hosted by the Greater Seaford Chamber of Commerce and the Seaford Public Library.
For John Hensley, finding a job Monday meant preserving his livelihood.
"It's not easy because we got a lot of bills and a lot of them aren't getting paid," he said straight-faced. "I got bill collectors steady calling me."
He's been out of work on and off for the last five years, after a knee surgery yanked him off a job he had worked for more than three decades.
"Jobs are scarce. I been trying. I had to borrow money from my mom last month to pay two car payments before they come and repossess my car."
Hensley said it's gotten so rough, his wife had to sell off her 401k fund just to pay their home mortgage.
That's why he and dozens of others are at this job fair at the Seaford Public Library.
Nearly two dozen companies from the public and private sectors showed up looking for potential hires, like Houbens Santipher-- who says he's out looking for a job in finance every day.
"I send at least 10 applications a day."
Well Monday could have finally been his day -- as he left optimistic.
"So far, so good," said Santipher
Recent numbers from the Department of Labor show that Delaware's unemployment rate sunk from 6.1 to 5 percent, but organizers of this event say there is still a need for jobs in western Sussex County.
"The Seaford Job Center is one of my busiest centers," said Hope Ellsworth, Director of the Seaford Job Center. "I see pockets in some other places, but definitely there is a need in the western Sussex area."
That's why the library hosts job fairs and this job center, where people like john can come and really make an attempt to get their lives back on track.
"I will never give up. You got to keep a positive attitude -- do a lot of praying," said Henley.