By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

A Pelham-based non-profit organization is looking for local companies to help find employment for seven of its employees with disabilities, as the economy has forced the organization to close its Pelham office.

Workshops Inc., which provides job training and employment services for those with severe disabilities, is consolidating its Pelham and Birmingham offices, and must find employment for seven of its sheltered employees, said Workshops’ Executive Director Susan Crow.

The Pelham office has been open since 1996.

“We have seven sheltered employees who are basically losing their jobs,” Crow said. “The economy has basically forced us to consolidate our offices.

“While the decision was easy to make from a purely financial point of view, it was excruciating from a human point of view,” she added. “Our sheltered employees are like a family to one another, and it’s heartbreaking to take away this very positive aspect of their lives.”

The Pelham Workshops location will remain open until Dec. 31, and the organization will be working with local businesses to find other opportunities for the sheltered employees.

“If businesses in Shelby County may be interested in meeting one of more of our sheltered employees, we would love to hear from them,” Crow said. “We may also be seeking a place for our sheltered employees to go and socialize with one another during the day, regardless of whether paid work is available.”

Anyone interested in helping the sheltered employees should call Workshops Inc. at 592-9683.