Making GAINs

Well before the cries for welfare reform reached a crescendo, Orange County tried to get people off the public assistance rolls and into jobs. It’s a good objective, but not an easy one to achieve.

The county began its version of the state program known as Greater Avenues for Independence eight years ago. In its original form, GAIN stressed educating those receiving money from the Aid to Families With Dependent Children program. The theory was that education was a necessary precursor to a job.

At the start of this decade, GAIN in Orange County served about 3,000 participants a month and put 279 of them into jobs.

But several years ago, the emphasis was reversed, and AFDC recipients were pushed hard to find work or risk reduction in welfare benefits. GAIN properly did not shove recipients out the door. It still offered counseling and, importantly, child care, since most AFDC recipients are single mothers.

The improvement in the program’s results has been impressive. In the most recent fiscal year, GAIN put 6,152 people into jobs. Now, the program serves more than 6,000 people a month, still just a small fraction of the more than 100,000 receiving public assistance in the county, but a doubling of the number served seven years ago.

GAIN’s efforts will be especially important as the new federal welfare reforms take hold. The new measures require states and counties administering public assistance programs to move recipients into job programs or lose federal funds.

Replacing welfare checks with paychecks is a worthy goal. But a good number of welfare recipients need training in the basics: how to set an alarm clock, dress properly for an interview, meet the job requirements.

Those who get jobs receive smaller welfare checks or, if their jobs pay well enough, none at all. Some also receive subsidies for child care. Riverside County, which is considered to have the most successful GAIN program in the state, has calculated that each dollar invested in its program saved $1.84 in reduced welfare costs. That’s a good return.

Orange County’s GAIN director said some clients do better than just the minimum wage. The county is aiming at putting more than 11,000 welfare recipients in jobs this fiscal year and is close to meeting its target.

Counties will need to track those who get jobs to learn how long they hold them and how much they earn. That information can help determine how to improve the program. Feedback from employers will help, too. GAIN is a promising program that can give welfare recipients the satisfaction of a job, help their children and reduce the burden on taxpayers.