Our agency mission directly relates to our Welfare to Work programs. Our mission is to “provide social services to, advocate for, and empower the poor, oppressed or vulnerable…on a non-discriminatory, non-sectarian basis throughout the six southern New Jersey counties.” This target population absolutely includes the approximately 1,500 people served each year by our program who are nearing the expiration of cash benefits and will need to make the transition to the work force.
We currently offer Welfare to Work program services to residents of Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties through referrals by the county Board of Social Services. Our goal is to help our clients achieve self-sufficiency, free of public support programs.
Our staff are intimately familiar with the requirements and expectations of the various state-funded benefits programs and understand the particular needs of the population we serve. In the Catholic tradition of respect for human dignity, we approach each client with a mindfulness of the needs of the whole person.
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Note: We can only accept clients for Welfare to Work programs through referrals by the county Board of Social Services.
Supportive Assistance to Individuals and Families (SAIF) was developed to create a safety net for those families and individuals who exhausted their five-year time limit on welfare (Work First New Jersey [WFNJ]) and do not meet the criteria for an exemption to the time limit. (Exemptions are given to people who are permanently disabled, sole caretakers of a disabled dependent, chronically unemployable, over age 60, or victims of family violence.)
The SAIF program, which began serving clients early in 2004, couples intensive case management with a continuation of the service package available to WFNJ recipients. This means that if the client continues to work or participate in a work activity, he or she may receive up to 24 months of cash benefits, plus services such as child care and transportation. If needed, other services such as mental health and substance abuse treatment may also be available. A case manager will keep in close contact with the client – through phone calls, visits to the office and even visits to the client’s worksite or home –to ensure that progress continues.
When individuals or families receiving public assistance fail to comply with the requirements for receiving benefits, they begin to receive sanctions from the State, or a reduction of benefits. These clients may be referred to our sanctioning program. We reach out to these individuals and work with them to determine the causes of failure to comply and assist them in getting back on track.
Services and responsibilities of the sanctioning program include:
We offer workshops and trainings to our intensive welfare case management clients once a month. Topics include:
Our employment liaison also works to build relationships with employers in the community so that we can keep our clients informed of job openings and help them find employment opportunities.