The surging rolls indicate many Ohioans have lost their jobs while others may have a job but do not make a living wage, said Berkwood Farmer, dean of Wright State University’s Raj Soin College of Business and an economist.
“When people transferred from high-paying manufacturing jobs to service-type jobs, their incomes were much less,” Berkwood said. “They went from $40 to $50 an hour to a job where they make $8 or $10 an hour, which can put them at the poverty level.”
To qualify for welfare, a family must earn 50 percent or less of the federal poverty level, which is $763 or less per month for a family of three, according to Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. That adds up to $9,156 per year. Only families with children are eligible for cash assistance.
Berkwood said people cannot survive long solely on money from the government program.
A family of three is eligible to receive a maximum monthly payment of $434. Welfare recipients in Ohio on average receive about $165 per month.
Berkwood said he is convinced the average welfare recipient is motivated to work, but is either unable to find a job or find one that pays enough to pay the bills.
Welfare sustains people with no job, no benefits
Welfare is a “safety net” for people who are ineligible for unemployment benefits or are unable to find decent-paying work, and the program is especially important in a down economy, said Deb Downing, Montgomery County Job and Family Services assistant director of social services and income support.
The government program focuses on getting people back to work, and it provides job training and requires recipients to engage work activities. But the bleak job market makes obtaining employment difficult, agency officials said.
The state was penalized in 2007 and 2008 by the federal government because not enough of its welfare recipients were engaged in work activities, said Benjamin Johnson, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services in Columbus.
Ohio will likely be penalized in 2009 and 2010 for the same violation, he said.
“We have applied for a waiver of that penalty due to the economic conditions in Ohio,” Johnson said. “Being involved in a work activity doesn’t mean they have to be working for pay: There are volunteer opportunities and apprenticeship programs ... which hopefully will lead to gainful employment.”
Until the economy turns around, the number of families receiving welfare is expected to continue to climb and not many families receiving welfare are expected to be able to transition off the program.
Welfare rolls were down until economy fell in ’08
The number of families receiving cash assistance from the government had been falling since 1996, when Congress passed welfare reform, which imposed new rules such as expiration dates on payments and work requirements.
The number of welfare recipients in Ohio peaked in March 1992, when 163,079 families, or 748,719 people, received cash assistance. After welfare reform laws were enacted, it fell to its lowest level, 76,158 families or 160,841 people, in June 2007, a few months before the recession began, Johnson said.
After the economy went into a tailspin, the average number of families in Ohio on welfare jumped to 80,940 in 2008 and 93,485 in 2009, according to state data. In October, 104,542 families were on welfare.
County office has more cases, but no more staff
In the Miami Valley, 10,768 families on average received monthly cash assistance this year, up from 10,024 in 2009 and 8,574 in 2008, the state data show.
The number of new cases continues to strain the Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services.
“The case loads have continued to skyrocket, but our staffing hasn’t increased because of the budget (cuts),” Downing said. “We have more and more people receiving assistance, and the same amount of people serving them.”
To accommodate the growing case load, agency staff have relied on new tools such as phone interviews to determine an applicant’s eligibility. They also encourage residents to use an online application.
Welfare recipients are eligible to receive assistance for three years, but if they meet “hardship criteria” they can receive two additional years, said Dwayne Woods, manager of the Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services.
“The program is aimed at sustaining families who are going through hard times,” he said. “We want to sustain them until they get back on their feet and we want to get them some kind of work history.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-0749 or cfrolik@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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