Trying to Do the Right Thing:

A Local Woman's Welfare Story

Aired December 22, 1999

It is Wednesday, December 22nd, 1999, and I am David C. Barnett, welcoming you to INFOhio After Nine, and earlier this morning, some celestial maneuvering took place above our heads, and 1999's winter solstice took place. We're working our way through the year's shortest day, which given the temperature, is fine by me. We start things off, though, with the true story of a local mother who says she tried to do the right thing, negotiating "The Changing Face of Welfare." Twenty years ago, she was breaking the law by holding a job and receiving public assistance. But now, that's changed. 90.3 special correspondent Harry Boomer filed this report.

Andrea Coney–Change is scary, and if you're used to always being supported, it's difficult when that safety net is pulled from up under you and you have to kind of go out there on your own accord.

Harry Boomer–Andrea Coney is the mother of a 29-year old. More than twenty years ago, she went on welfare to help support him. Now, she's raising his son. Andrea has been through a lot over the years. Her experiences are evident in her voice and words. Back in the day, Andrea didn't always make the best life choices. She in fact was convicted of a crime.

AC–It was for welfare fraud, and it was working, which they're allowed to do today, and receiving welfare benefits.

HB (to AC)–Had they had this new welfare-to-work then, you wouldn't need to be in this situation now, you could have worked your way off of welfare twenty-plus years ago, right?

AC–That's correct, that's correct, so it's kind of ironic to me to see that the welfare department has I guess assimilated to the point now where they understand that people do need to make a transition when they're receiving welfare, to get assistance until they get on their feet. However, they didn't have that at that time, so what I was doing was illegal, and I'm not making any bones or trying to dress it up, it was illegal, but at that time, it was what I thought I needed to do i order to make the transition. Today I know that maybe I could have done it another way, but I'm glad to see at least today that they understand that and they do know that the women that are on welfare do, there are some that do have the desitre to get off and do need assistance in the transitional state from welfare back to work.

HB–A little more of Andrea's history. She's divorced, she worked in the corporate world but was downsized after 11 years when her company moved its jobs out of Cleveland. She got into trouble, as former president Ronald Reagan used to say, for being a welfare cheat. She cleaned up her life, paid full restitution, got her criminal record expunged, and in May of this year, graduated from Cuyahoga Community College, earning an associate's degree in community mental health technologies. But because she had been out of work for awhile, on welfare a second time to take care of her grandson, Andrea went to the Goodwill Industries for help.

AC–I was in the job seeking skills training program for ex-offenders, and that's a program that's created for welfare-to-work mothers who have had a felony in the past, and my transition, I guess I was kind of discouraged because I didn't think that i would be able to get a successful position.

HB–Andrea is well aware of Ohio's three-year lifetime limit. that's why she's determined to retrain for the future.

AC–The program that Goodwill offers, they helped with the self-esteem. They also addressed resumes, they addressed actually filling out the application and the job seeking skills training process, they also helped with nutrition, and bringin in nutritionists that talked about taking inexpensive ways and creating meals that would help with your budgeting. They also helped with budgeting, they have a section that helps you so that once you do get an income, you'll know how to apply it to stay focused. They also had what's called "Job Club," which gave you the opportunity to go out and interact in the public with the businesses, so they gave you real-life examples and situations to interact with the public.

HB–Much of the public Andrea sees now are women who are in transition, mothers who are overcoming years of dependency on welfare. Since March of this year, Andrea has been working as a social worker for Goodwill Industries. they liked her so much they hired her after she completed training with the agency.

AC–I do go back down to the classroom and I share some of the things that I've done with the women to kind of let them know encouragement, that I was once where you are and I do understand, but that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it's not here at Goodwill, there's another avenue that you can end up being in, and I'm glad to see that the county is supporting them today.

HB–A grateful Andrea Coney is herself supporting her grandson. She's only been back in the job market since mid-March, but life has taught her lessons from which we can all learn.

AC–I believe that every journey does indeed begin with the first step, and that even though when we walk out we might feel a little uneasy or shaky, we just have to have the faith and the belief in ourselves that what we've learned we can utilize to make ourselves successful.

HB–At midnight, a new day begins. Another 24 hours that change our circumstance for the better, or stagnate as a new millenium approaches. For INFOhio, I'm Harry Boomer in Cleveland.