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Tuesday, 24 October 2006 17:06 |
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved a new welfare plan Oct. 17 that officials say will continue the current systemës most successful strategies.
The state of North Carolina mandates that every two years counties must update their plans for implementing Work First ÇƒÓ a welfare-to-work program that provides job training and assistance finding work for people receiving public aid.
The plan provides greater support services for the working poor and for families that leave welfare for employment, as well as providing assistance to address familiesë immediate needs ÇƒÓ as opposed to authorizing long-term payments.
The
number of county residents on welfare has dropped dramatically in
recent years, according to Tim Rhodes, program administrator with the
Department of Social Services.
Slightly more
than 900 Buncombe residents are on cash welfare, he told the board,
compared to almost 7,000 in 1993. This represents a decrease from $7.5
million in monthly payments to $1.3 million.
This year, the
federal government tightened restrictions on what kinds of work and
training programs qualify for aid, as well as requiring higher
participation rates in job training for recipients.
Under the Work
First program, cash payments are limited to 24 months ÇƒÓ which can be
spread out over time, after which a recipient is prohibited from
receiving aid for three years.
Furthermore,
under welfare reform legislation passed in 1995, an able-bodied adult
is limited to 60 months of aid in his or her lifetime.
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