ORANGE COUNTY IN BANKRUPTCY : Nonprofit Agencies Feel Pain of Fiscal Crisis : Services: Some paid employees are now volunteers as county funding is suspended to groups that, even in normal times, struggle to exist.

Jonathan Lee knows what it’s like to come to a country without knowing anyone, without speaking the language, without reading well enough to understand when a flashing sign at an intersection warns, “Don’t walk.”

So when the former Vietnamese refugee learned this week that his boss had to stop paying him because of the county’s fiscal crisis, he got up as usual Friday, donned a dark suit and a colorful tie and headed off to his job as an employment specialist at The Cambodian Family Inc., a nonprofit refugee agency in Santa Ana.

The only difference was his new title: volunteer.

“It’s just a regular day,” said Lee, 32, who is one of more than a dozen workers at the agency who have seen their pay slashed or suspended because the county has stopped paying its contractors. By Monday, as many as 10 more workers will be teaching English for no pay.

“I dressed up nice and acted like nothing happened, Lee said. “I feel like the first priority is the clients. These people I work with very closely. They’ve become a part of my life. . . . They’ve become a part of my family.”

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The county’s budget debacle fell hard on nonprofit organizations Friday, as hundreds of social service contractors owed money by the county frantically cast about for ways to keep their doors open and services flowing. Most, like The Cambodian Family, are awaiting federal or state funds administered by the county that were frozen as a result of its bankruptcy filing.

Many administrators say they believe the money will trickle in eventually, but prompt payment means everything to nonprofit agencies that survive with thin financial cushions.

Orangewood Children’s Foundation in Orange issued a plea for public donations Friday to keep afloat its temporary-care service for children in need of shelter or at risk of abuse.

“Basically, we can hold together another couple of months,” said Executive Director Judy Nelson. But “we’re turning people away who are new. . . . We had a grandmother needing surgery who wanted her children taken care of, and we could not take them in.”

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Anaheim-based Hope House, a residential drug-abuse treatment provider, stopped doing “everything that isn’t vital” and was seeking monetary and food donations, said Executive Director Marc Corradini.

“We’re turning out the lights when we don’t need them . . . and (contacting) families, friends and graduates” for help, he said.

Meanwhile, United Way of Orange County was assessing whether nonprofit organizations in immediate need might qualify for emergency loans from its $100,000 fund. “We have been really scrambling,” said Merritt Johnson, the agency’s president. He said United Way has sent surveys to all its affiliate agencies to gauge their level of need, but as yet has distributed no money.

“We are very sincere in saying we want to be helpful,” said Johnson, who estimated that the agency could make loans available as early as next week. “We think the services (provided by human service agencies) are critical and vital.”

Administrators of the nonprofit groups say they are both saddened by the fiscal fiasco and heartened by the dedication of their staffs.

“Everyone has gone through some shock and sadness,” said Rifka Hirsch, executive director of The Cambodian Family. But “some have just rallied. They’ve just taken the situation in the most positive way possible. They’re trying to bring humor to the situation, trying to offer positive sympathy to everyone involved.”

Hirsch said staff members who are continuing to work without pay are making a great personal sacrifice. “The wages that people earn here are extremely important to them. They go into their daily living.”

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As the nonprofit organization struggled to adjust to the funding shortfall, Lee, who helps refugees find jobs, and many of his colleagues vowed to work free to keep what they consider essential services in place.

The Cambodian Family, owed more than $100,000 by the county, provides English-language instruction and an employment service for refugees during their often-disorienting first eight months in this country.

“I still feel like the funding’s there for us,” said Lee, who settled in this country in 1984 and has worked at the agency the past four years. But “if it’s the end of the rope, I might have to look for another job.”

Lee figures clients need his services more than he needs his next paycheck. And he makes no secret of the fact that he loves his job.

Although his own employment is in jeopardy, Lee helped two refugees land jobs Friday. “I wish and believe the government could find a way to help this program continue,” he said. “I don’t know. I just have the feeling these people need help.”