BETTER WELFARE EFFORTS NEEDED, REPORT SAYS (WELFARE-TO-WORK, LAST OF FIVE PARTS)

People being forced off the welfare rolls will need help from Cape Girardeau County's strong network of churches and social agencies, a recent study says.

A coordinated effort by area churches and agencies could set the stage to meet the needs of welfare recipients, according to a preliminary report from a Boston consulting firm, Mount Auburn Associates.

The firm studied how community agencies could help public assistance recipients so that the Welfare Reform Task Force will know how to best address the needs of the changing welfare system.

The report suggests a need for better networking among agencies in the county. It also suggests existing networks in the county be expanded and strengthened.

The report cited the cooperation shown in developing the Jump Start on Jobs program, which was initiated by the Community Caring Council's employment committee. The five-day program, which helps welfare recipients develop work-related skills, brings together 19 different public and private groups as partners and participants.

The Community Caring Council, Inter-Agency Staffing Team and Regional Inter-Agency Network were clear attempts by social service agencies to improve service, the report said. Also noteworthy were the efforts of area churches to try to meet child care and transportation needs, it said.

"Cape Girardeau enjoys a reputation of collegiality and cooperation in addressing social issues in the community," the report said. "There is a strong sense of collaboration and shared endeavor among the human and social service network. Leaders and community members look to the church community as possessing not only the resources but also the conviction to play an important role in addressing parts of the welfare-to-work equation.

"However, there is still no central clearinghouse of information on individuals seeking employment-related services and no comprehensive system for information and referral," it added.

Shirley Ramsey of Caring Communities said the goal of her organization and the task force is to pull the community together and develop the type of network described in the report. Although the task force has been organized for more than a year, more people will be needed to help meet the goals.

"The things that people are already doing are going to be important but it's going to take everyone working together," she said. "We're trying to be a little more proactive instead of waiting until we're forced to do something."

Area Wide United Way executive director Nancy Jernigan agreed. "Right now, there are many programs, but it's impossible to understand it all because of the different criteria," she said. "We have to get everybody involved, I think, for us to come up with some real answers."

Peter Kwass, an officer with Mount Auburn Associates, said the company should be able to make some recommendations to the task force next month. The task force hopes to develop a community policy to deal with the welfare system changes.

There are many resources available to support welfare-to-work efforts in the community, but there needs to be a higher level of coordination, he said.

"Strong efforts have been made, but more is going to have to be done there, on a state and local level," he said. "One of the challenges is to get the community more aware and more involved."