FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 4, 2009
Contact: Howard Sutter, 714.834.6203 office, Howard.Sutter@ocgov.com
County to Receive Additional Funding Due To Enrollment Growth in Assistance Programs
(Santa Ana, CA) — Enrollment growth in the CalWORKs, Food Stamp and Medi-Cal programs will result in a $9 million net increase in Federal and State funding for the Orange County Social Services Agency (SSA), allowing the agency to fill 99 vacant employee positions.
“The continuing economic downturn has resulted in more people applying for the CalWORKs, Medi-Cal and Food Stamp programs,” said Ingrid Harita, SSA Director. “For example, the number of Medi-Cal recipients in Orange County has increased by 30,000 in the past year and the number of people receiving food stamps has increased by 39,000 over the same period. The increase in Federal and State funding will allow us to rehire social workers, eligibility technicians and other support staff needed to meet this increased demand for services.”
The County plans to reinstate former SSA employees who were laid off earlier this year, as well as bring back employees who were released during their probationary period. The employees will be brought back in groups to facilitate refresher training for the positions. “While we remain concerned that so many people are in need of the assistance available through these programs, we are pleased that we have this opportunity to reinstate many SSA employees who were impacted by previous budget reductions,” stated Director Harita.
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During the county’s bankruptcy in the mid-90’s the County Board of Supervisors refused to accept available federal funding to adequately staff these programs, saying that would be “growing government” by adding employees to the payroll – something the Board did not have the courge to do even when the public was coming to the door looking for help. Conservative philosohy ovecame reality at that time. Hope it does not happen again.
The public? who really are the public.
Let me tell you. Grand Jury report 2007. 70% of all welfare use in Orange County are hispanic. The public are Mexican and other third world poor, having children in this country and walking into the welfare office. I suspect the Supervisors know this and without a doub’t so do all the non-profits and other Government agencies encluding: Canyon acres services, child guildance center, community service program, kinship, choc health Alliance, coalition of community clinics, latina health access, caloptima, healthy families, orange county medical assocation, Orange County health Alliance, bridges, moms, Orange County Social Services, wic, californiakids, Childrens services, materal child and adolescent health, lennar corp (shelters), Mercy house, and Providence community service. Providence just got 8,764.178, for a rap around service, which really means. “how to rob the taxpayer”. Providence is in the business of telling people how to get welfare, even criminals coming out of jail. Really no kidding!
All of the above are scrambling for taxdollars given out by the Orange Country board of supervisors. The American poor in Orange Country are really Mexican and other latin American citizens who use the services that make alot of people rich.
I called the county media center and asked the question, “why has no one asked, who the poor are”, and why are Orange Country Social Services not using the SAVE program to check for eligibility of welfare recipients, “has anyone asked”, the answer was. “no”. Why?
The poor, no matter who they are, are growing Orange County local government and they make a lot of Non-profits ie… choc health Alliance very profitable.
Right now i am trying to find out just how much Caloptima pays out for enrollees of Choc health alliance. I bet you, its alot!
Poor kids are great for business in this state, and the rational for this maddness of robbing American families of decent public service’s ..”Its the federal government’s fault”.
This state is full of corruption, when it comes to public funds. Too many people are looking the other way to keep a job. it has to stop, because this house of cards will fall!
This is why 35% of all welfare use is in California!
By the way. Your tax bill just went up:)