By By JONATHAN CLAYBORNE
Staff Writer
CHOCOWINITY — Sonya Toman came armed with enough facts to shatter some illusions about the number of people served by the Beaufort County Department of Social Services.
In a presentation Thursday night, Toman, Beaufort County’s DSS director, asked the crowd of about 24 guests and members of the Down East Republican Club to guess how many people receive benefits through the Work First Family Assistance program.
It turned out that not many more single parents in the county get help through Work First than were in attendance for the club’s session.
After debunking repeated wrong guesses that ranged from hundreds to thousands, Toman elicited gasps from the crowd, revealing that just 37 single parents are helped through Work First, once called “welfare.”
“Oh my God,” one audience member exclaimed.
“I know about five (recipients) myself,” said spectator Rick Gagliano, a former candidate for Washington mayor.
Beneficiaries of this DSS component must, at least, prove they are seeking work, Toman said.
“You can’t just have children and say, ‘I want to apply,’” she noted.
Toman said this information belies the notion of “welfare mothers, home, sitting (around) collecting checks.”
DSS lists 96 child-only Work First cases, most of which involve children placed with grandparents or other relatives, Toman related.
The agency has one two-parent Work First case.
So, in total, there are only 134 Work First cases in the county, she said.
According to Toman, the average monthly check for a Work First recipient amounts to $214.31.
Those on hand were taken aback, apparently because they had expected that Work First would have a more far-reaching effect in a county of about 46,000 people.
Speaking of larger impacts, Toman said 8,172 people living in Beaufort County get help through food and nutrition services, once called the “food stamps” program.
This time last year, the program served 7,129 people, she said.
“The numbers are increasing,” due in part to the unemployment problem, Toman explained.
Some individuals take in as little as $16 per month from the food-and-nutrition program, she said.
The maximum benefit depends on a number of factors, she said, adding that for a family of eight, monthly aid would top out at $1,202.
“This program and Medicaid, there’s so many ifs, ands and buts. It’s complicated,” Toman pointed out in a brief follow-up interview Friday.
On Thursday, Donna Lay, president of the Beaufort County Republican Women’s Club, wanted to know how many county residents are on welfare because of local joblessness.
In response, Toman said most clients tell case workers they need help because they’re out of work.
“These were people who had lost their job and had never, ever asked for help,” she said of recent first-time applicants.
Larry Britt, chairman of the Beaufort County Republican Party, presided over Thursday’s meeting and introduced Toman.
“It’s a small little building over there that spends about $98 million a year,” Britt said of DSS. “It’s a big responsibility that (Toman) has.”
Toman said the total DSS budget referenced by Britt includes local, state and federal funds.
DSS programs aren’t just a drain on tax revenues, Toman asserted, adding the programs bring money into the county through local businesses whose clientele includes people on relief.
On Friday, Toman acknowledged her conviction that more people are likely eligible for DSS help than those who have applied.
“I don’t know what their reasons are,” she said. “That’s what we’re here for, to help people through difficult times.”