Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / Jan. 16, 1992, edition 1 / Page 9
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STAPf PHOTO By TCRPY POPE RVUDING AND GROUNDS employee Hilly Robinson at work in the future Environmental Health Services waiting area. First JOBS Class Offers Hope ? To Those On Welfare Program BY TERRY POPE Fifteen people who rcceivc wel fare checks through Brunswick County's Department of Social Services arc in class this week, learning skills that may help land them a job and get them off of pub lic assistance. They arc the first clients enrolled in the county's Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS) which is aimed at taking people off the federal welfare rolls by preparing them for the work place. Although coordinators have been busy for months preparing for the program locally. Jobs Readiness is the first activc phase. The six-week course hopes to build participants' self-esteem and motivate them to think positively about their futures, says Ginger DeBerry, Brunswick County JOBS cnordin.iior "Some, when placed in a struc tured environment, have simply quit," said Ms. DeBerry. "They've got some old arid bad feelings. We're trying to help them see the good and the positive again." The class will meet at Brunswick Community College, Tuesdays through Thursdays, until Feb. 27. Participants will then move to the next phases of Ihc program, which includes education courses so per sons can obtain their general equiva lency diplomas (GEDs) and on the job training. The Federal Family Support Act of 1988 created provisions aimed at improving the self-sufficicncy of persons who receive Aid To Fam ilies With Dependent Children (AF DC), the federal government's major aid program. Welfare rolls have grown to record levels in recent months with the rise in unemployment figures and a sluggish economy. In Novem ber, more than 113,(XX) persons in North Carolina were receiving aid through AFDC, which cost $281 million in 1990. The total included S45 million in state funds. Those who enroll are also offered child care services at licensed day care facilities, which is a benefit to the children, saul Ms. DeBerrv. "The children will be better adjusted hav ing been with other children in day care." Targeted for the Jobs Readiness class were five groups of people on AFDC, in the following order: ?custodial parents under 24 who are not high school graduates and who are not currently enrolled in school; ?custodial parents under 24 who are high school graduates bui have little or no work experience in the past year; ?single parents whose youngest child is at least 16. but younger than 18, and who are ready to "age out" of the assistance program; ?persons not in the above cate gories, but who have been on assis tance for 36 of the past 6() months; and ?individuals not in the above cate gories who are currently on assis tance. "We have people at various start ing points," said Ms. DeBerry. "We need to be ready to address their needs when they finish that first phase." Participants who acquire the right infoimation and obtain valuable job skills can help pass those skills on to a future generation, thus breaking the welfare cycle, she said. "This is a means to try to get peo ple to make some changes in their lives,' said Ms. DeBerry. "Some people arc not going to succeed. Some are going to be successful." A number of county and state agencies will provide programs in the six-week course. Volunteers are needed to provide transportation for clients. Those providers will be re imbursed by DSS, said Ms. DeBerry. Aid Is Available For Crops Lost To Drought Brunswick County fanners who have experienced substantial crop losses in the nasi two vears due to r * drought, flood or natural disasters may be eligible for federal crop dis aster assistance. 'There is going to be a large sign up," predicted Brenda Carpenter, a program assistant with the Agri cultural Stabilization and Conserva tion Service office at Bolivia. "The farmers have been calling us for six months asking about disaster assis tance." "For 1990 it will be mostly for corn crops that failed and for 1991, people are mostly dealing with soy beans." But some producers had losses of other crops, including cabbage in 1990 and sweet potatoes in 1991 . In all the above instances, she said growers "didn't get the water they needed" and didn't have irriga tion systems. To be eligible for assistance, said Ira Potter, county ASCS chairman, producers with crop insurance must have had losses greater than 35 per cent. Those without crop insurance must have had losses greater than 40 percent. Program applications may be filed from Feb. 3 through March 13. ASCS is encouraging producers who intend to file to begin assem bling their records now so they will be ready when the program opens. While specific information will be mailed to farmers when it becomes available, generally they arc expect ed to provide proof that the crop was planted and document expenses, yield and payments received for the crop. Farmers who haven't received information from ASCS by Feb. 3 are to call the office for more infor mation, said Potter. The 1990-91 crop disaster pro gram provides cash payments for production losses on participating program crops of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, extra long staple cot ton and rice; nonparticipaling pro gram crops; peanuts, soybeans, sun flowers, sugar beets, sugarcane and tobacco; and all commercial nonpro gram crops. "They're going back and covering everything, including strawberries," said Ms. Carpenter. "This is a help ing hand, it's something the farmers don't have to pay back." While the agency has about 1 ,(XX) active producers on file, Ms. Car penter said she anticipates filings by The Perfect Atmosphere For Dining OPEN: Thurs.-Sat. 5-9 PM BY PUBLIC DEMAND... NOW ON SUNDAYS 12 3 and 5-8 We are located on Stone Chimney Road at Lock wood Folly, Varnamtown ? 842-3872 CW..- ? ??? i\"-. '< ' ? . ? ? a H producers who don'i routinely make crop reports lo the ASCS office as well. Potter said a producer may not file on one crop on a farm for one year and a different crop on the same farm for the other. "However, the producer may re quest benefits for 1990 on one farm and for 1991 on another farm." Disaster payments will be com puter according to provisions of the 1990 Farm Bill. Potter said he ex pects to begin issuing payments to farmers by April 16. More information is available from the ASCS office. Oh, Alaska!]^ Princess cruises-Vancouver to Anchorage. This breathtaking cruise sails Sept. 5, '92 Send your deposit by Feb. 7 and Save $150 For Early Booking ClArirlo D ? ? I IV* I?^u W t%J* l\y J I I UUO Tour-Feb. 27-Mar. 1 Plus many more! Call about ski packages Carnival Cruise Lines 3-Day Cruise Specials -Category 7 Starting At $210 plus port taxes J Convenient Tours & Travel Moving Soon To Hwy. 17 N., Shallotte (next to Alison s Barber Shop at Walmart' Call 754-4222 For All Your Travel Needs MOVING IN BY END OF MONTH Heoith Department's Expansion To Ease Overcrowding Problems BY TKRRY POPK Employees say ihcy arc eager to move into a newly-remodeled wing at the Brunswick County Health Department, an expansion that should be ready in a coupic of weeks. The added space will also ease some of County Manager David C'legg's worries. Patient confidentiality is threat ened when the department becomes a beehive of activity, with UK) little space for privacy with counselors, he said. "It concerns me greatly thai someone looking for environmental health could walk in on a medical procedure," said Clcgg. "We have constantly received complaints over the lack of interview space." The health department will ex pand into its new space before the end of January. The expansion will allow the department to almost dou ble its square-footage at the Bruns wick County Government Center in Bolivia. Nurses and staff members cur rently work in the same amount of space allotted when the complex was built in 1977, despite tremen dous growth in the department's ser vices and number of clients over the 15-year period. Many staff members have been forced to share offices. "That will give us what we need for now," said Health Director Michael Rhodes. "It will give us great relief." A wing that had been occupied by the Department of Social Services before its new building was com pleted, is being remodeled to pro vide more office space and exami nation rooms for the health depart ment. Brunswick County Public Housing has already moved its of fices from the Planning Building in to part of the wing. An economic recession has also increased the request for services this winter at the health department and added to the space problems, said Clcgg. Therefore, the expansion comes at a good time. "It's just about to bust at the seams," Clcgg said. The remodeled building will house environmental health services, where residents go to get septic tank permits. It will also contain offices lor nurses, medical labs and a con ference room lor Brunswick County Board of Health meetings. Mon day's meeting was perhaps the last the board will hold in the clinic waiting area in the older wing. "We're really happy about our new space." added Rhodes, whose department has undergone internal movement in an attempt to make better use of available space over the years, but has never expanded since the center was built. Before social services moved, a number of departments began lob bying Brunswick County Commis sioners for the available space. The logical solution was to give most of it to the health department, said Clcgg. "It's a plus for the health depart ment," he noted. "They're going to be able to serve the citi/cns better." The expansion will also help the department maintain better security over its pharmacy and give coun selors more privacy to work with clients, said Clcgg. A cross-section of residents use the health depart r mcnt, which makes the decision lo give most of the space to that de partment easier, he noted. "They shouldn't have to feel 'hat ut given moment 'K/iMCiiiiv >> ii. walk in on them," he said. ' If that kept a child in Brunswick County from being fed, it is an issue. II pri vacy is an issue, then privacy has got to be addressed." A lot of limes, environmental health services dominates the news, said Clegg. Local developers maintain an on going battle with soil specialists over septic lank pemuLv Other less controversial, but important, ser vices offered by the department sake a back seat. "A lot of people say they don't use the health department," said Clegg. "Everybody in tins county uses the health department. They may not arrive at the doorstep for its services, but they do use the depart ment." Persons who dine at local restau rants or buy groceries from local su permarkets rely on the health depart ment staff to inspect those facilities, he said. "It's going to hold them for a long time." said Clegg of the additional space. William Temple Allen, CPA Inrnmo T/~i v Drorv-tr/-.f;?r> *? ? ? I " Income Tax Preparation/Representation (federal and all state returns) Electronic Filing and Rapid Refund Accounting and Bookkeeping Services Computerized Payroll Secretarial/Word Processing Services Medical Practice Management Services (review of ICD-9/CPT coding) Tax and Estate Planning Former IRS Assistant Director Technical Division. Washington. 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The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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Jan. 16, 1992, edition 1
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