Catawba County
Work First Program

Mission Statement

The Work First Program's mission is to enable Work First recipients and applicants to become self-sufficient by linking them with resources and skills, and to allow them to take responsibility for themselves and their families. Catawba County's vision is that all families in the county will assume personal responsibility for themselves and their families and will have the resources needed to provide their basic needs - shelter, food and clothing.

Personal Responsibility

Work First requires eligible welfare recipients to find and accept work. Recipients are encouraged to seek work opportunities on their own. The Work First Case Managers will assist the recipient in determining his/her job skills and assist the recipient in becoming employed.

Personal responsibility is the cornerstone of Work First. Work First requires caretakers to be responsible for themselves and the well-being of their children.

Every Work First family must develop a Mutual Responsibility Agreement which describes the caretaker's and worker's responsibilities.

Required of all families and included on the Mutual Responsibility Agreement:

• Children must get their immunizations;

• Children must have regular medical checkups;

• Children must attend school according to school policy;

• Adults in the family must register for First Stop, unless exempt;

• Adults in the family must be screened for Substance Abuse, and if appropriate assessed and treatment plan developed;

• Teen parents must live with a parent or approved adult and stay in school; and

• Caretakers must cooperate with Child Support.

Required for families subject to the work requirement and encouraged for all other families:

• Establishment of employment goals;

• Description of a plan for participating in work or work activities for an average of at least 35 hours per week;

• Description of the case management and support services that will be provided to help the family become self-sufficient within two years.

Consequences

A family that does not comply with the Mutual Responsibility Agreement will have a monetary sanction applied to their Work First payment unless they have good cause. The goal is not to sanction families, but sanctions are used to emphasize and promote the importance of personal responsibility.

Time Limits

Beginning January 1, 1997, families that include an adult became subject to a 60-month lifetime limit on the receipt of benefits. The 60-month time limit is a cumulative total and includes the months benefits were received in other states.

While families that include an adult are subject to the 60-month lifetime limit on receipt of assistance, families in North Carolina that include an adult, and that are not exempt from the Employment Services, are also subject to a 24-month time limit on the receipt of Work First. After receiving 24 cumulative months of Work First in North Carolina, the family is not eligible for Work.

Every Job Has Meaning and Purpose!

First Cash Assistance for 36 months.

EXTENSIONS

• The family may request an extension when they are notified of the termination of benefits due to exhausting their 24 months.

• At any time following termination in month 24.

• There is no limit to the number of extensions a family can request during the 36 months after receiving 24 cumulative months of Work First.

• An extension may be granted if the Work First participant complied with his/her Mutual Responsibility Agreement and through no fault of his/her own is unable to obtain or maintain employment.

Please contact Karen Heffner, Work First Manager at Social Services
695-5625
for more information.