Welfare recipients are back to work

By Sara QuamWelfare reform is working. More people are moving off cash assistance and working due to federal time limits on assistance — largely due to the local diligence of job counselor Brian Sietsema and employees of Rock County Family Services.That was the message Rock County commissioners received from the Private Industry Council Tuesday in its annual report.PIC is a regional organization. Rock County Commissioner Bob Jarchow was chairman of the Board of Directors the past two years, and still serves on the Board of Directors as a member.Sietsema is a PIC employee who works out of Family Services in Luverne.Family Services Director Randy Ehlers said the relationships formed between the professionals in the building are valuable to clients who use services.There were 85 cases in the Diversionary Work Program in 2005. Through that program Sietsema works with people receiving assistance who are capable of working to some degree.Despite the good record, Sietsema said there are growing challenges. The number of people in the program with documented chemical dependency issues rose to 26. Sietsema said, "It’s every day that I’m talking to a chemical dependency counselor or a probation officer or a child protection worker."Sietsema said he thinks that more of his clients may have dependency issues that are not on record or documented.Of those that are documented, he estimates one-half to one-third are due to methamphetamine. Most are alcohol, however.The most notable statistic about the Diversionary Work Program is that since 2002, 88.6 percent of Rock County clients are either working 30 hours a week in order to still qualify to receive some cash assistance or are completely independent of any state aid.Rock County’s 88.6 average is better than the state average of 70 percent.Mary Mulder said, "The staff in Human Services helps the success in rural areas. We hear of other cases [in the Metro area] where people don’t see a job counselor until their assistance is about to expire."Sietsema said rural areas have their own challenges as well.Sometimes there just aren’t job openings for clients because there are fewer employers overall. Also, finding childcare (especially evening) and transportation is difficult.People have to drive to their jobs because public transportation is more limited. Sietsema said he uses programs to get people new tires or even fill their tank with gas to last them until their first paycheck just to make sure they get to their job.That effort and constant accountability and contact is what PIC officials say works the best.Other statistics from the Diversionary Work Program are:
6 participants have limited or no English skills
20 are unable to work due to physical disability (this includes maternity leave) and/or mental disability.
60 participants left the Diversionary Work Program and cash assistance (this includes employment, moving from the county or reaching the lifetime cash assistance limit).
32 participants left the program due to employment.
The average wage upon exiting the program was $8.74 per hour.