Nevada Welfare Services: Still working

by Kimberly Bailey-Tureaud

The Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services continues to assist Nevada residents in need, while they locate employment or seek to boost their prospects through job training.

For 23 years, Patrick E. Williams has served as NDWSS manager of social services. He was quick to note that while the agency exists to provide help, participants are required to seek employment or enroll in job training programs.

“The clients who seek cash (assistance)are required to be in a training … program if they don’t have a job,” he explained. “What we have done for the last three years with our workforce program is to also provide GED training, which has been instrumental in securing employment for participants. We have a Community Work Experience Program (CWEP), where participants can receive job training from different nonprofit agencies in Nevada. They obtain help with their résumés, which positions them to secure job interviews.”

In 1996, then-President Bill Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, commonly known as “welfare-to-work.” That law dramatically changed how states operated welfare programs, by requiring recipients to seek job training and make faster transitions off public assistance.

“From what I see every day, I believe that things are getting better for the unemployed in Nevada,” said Williams. “The services from nonprofits such as Nevada Partners Culinary Academy and others have assisted in helping our clients obtain the skills they need for potential employment opportunities.”

He added: “Participants who are receiving food stamps are not under the same requirements as those who receive cash assistance. Depending on household size, participants who receive food stamps are not required to work, if children in the household are under 6 years of age. But, when they are over 6 years, they, too, must either enroll in a training program for a job and/or actively seek employment. We also provide child care assistance for participants to assist them while they work and/or seek employment for a set amount of time. All of our offices are working hard to assist participants to become self-sufficient and secure needed employment.”