BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – June bills are due and for furloughed Bitwise employees left in the dark by the company, the bills could be stacking up.
With Bitwise remaining silent about the fate of the business and hundreds of Bitwise furloughed employees forced suddenly to figure out what is next. Kern County District Five Supervisor Leticia Perez is hosting a resource fair Wednesday.
“They don’t need to be ashamed; they don’t need to be afraid […] while this did not materialize the way that we hoped that it would, there are many other opportunities that will continue to materialize and we’re here to bring those opportunities forward,” Perez said.
Bakersfield was one of the four cities in the state where the business operated in. The city and county had big hopes for the business. This is why Perez said the county is working closely with the city of Bakersfield to address this.
“They obviously had a closer hand in the development stages and in the comprehension of who this business was going to be and what its promises were and its potential illegalities,” Perez said.
The Open-Door Network is also stepping up to host events for former Bitwise employees, the organization hosted one Monday where case managers helped employees with housing and rental support.
No former employees at the event would speak, but many showed up.
“It’s obviously a tough situation but I see a lot of resilience, a lot of determination to get through it, you know they’re willing to come out here and get help, it’s not always easy to take a lending hand but they’re going to do what they can to better themselves,” the Open Door Network’s Marvin Luna said.
The Open-Door network will hold another event Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for former employees for grief support with therapists.
