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Sonoma County. The chosen spot of all the earth as far as nature is concerned, according to the famed plant wizard Luther Burbank Diverse County, with 1,010,000 acres of land on 1574 miles of scenic roadways, Sanoma County is rightfully famed for its agriculture did a culture, industry

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and recreation, as well as for the amazingly successful ethnic and economic mixture of its more than 340,000 residents on for the forward looking philosophy of its local governing bodies. Now we invite you to take a closer look at Sonoma County in the eighties with your host,

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rich McGlinchy. How you doing, Everybody. Welcome to another edition of Sonoma County in the eighties. We're gonna be talking about social welfare tonight. We're gonna be talking about the authority on that subject. And Sanoma County. At least Paul M. Allen Jr. Who is the Soma County

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welfare director, has been so since 1969 and happy to say, has been a friend of mine said with nice to have you back here, it's good to be back. Yeah, we haven't talked for quite a long time. It happened. Lots has happened? Yeah. All right. As

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I said, Paul has been the social service director for Nova County since 1969. Paul, a little background. Briefly before that, you were King County. I was director in Kings County for a little over four years. Right then, before that, 14 years and Salata County. I'm on

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my 37th year in public welfare. California. A bit of time. I'm the senior director in the State Association now director longer. Anyone else? Well, listen, since the last time you apparently this has been some time back. I know that there have been several major changes in

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your department, so I think maybe without any further do what are some of these changes? I think the most important change in the recent past has been the implementation of the greater avenues for Independence program and more commonly known state right as the game program, which

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we implemented in Sonoma County effective October 1 of last year. Um, g a i n my corrected that stands for greater avenues for independence. Is that right? Yeah, I got it right. Appropriate acronym. What is the game program? Well, the game program is a statewide employment

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and education program for welfare applicants and recipients. It requires that any parent applying for or receiving aid to families with dependent Children through my department, uh, who have a youngest child of six years of age or older must participate in the program. If they have Children

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under six years of age, they do not have to participate, but they can volunteer to participate in the program. Um, okay, how does it work the game program with me? Okay, once they once they apply for aid or are recipients of aid, they're referred to our

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gain division, where we have case managers and employment counselors. As a game participant enters that program, they receive an in depth assessment which goes into their educational level, their job skills, areas of need to make them job ready and competitive in the labour market based upon

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this assess. But they have several options open to them, and they could go into what we call the job club, where they're trained in how to apply for a job. How toe undertake an employment interview, how to dress properly, those kinds of basic skills. They can

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also go into job search Here, there give it a battery of telephones. They just start calling employers and say, Are you hiring? Do you have work here by skills and my educational level? And that has been highly successful. If they lack and educational skills, or if

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they lack vocational skills, then they could be placed in on the job training for the vocational skills. Or they may be placed in remedial education program, where they their educational skills are brought up to a high school level. If they have occasional skills, they may be

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placed in a ZAY said on the job training to learn specific skills related to the kind of job that there that they should be undertaking throughout this process there helped and monitored by a case manager at an employment counselor. If, after the educational vocational training their

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unsuccessful in locating employment, then they're put into what we call the pre employment program. The prep program, which can be either three months duration up to 12 months duration Ah, lot of people refer to this is the workfare. This is where they're working off their welfare

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grant that they receive from us, but in effect it's it's again teaching them basic job skills getting up in a regular time in the morning, going to a specific place for working. And that sort of that's what they get, also prepares them, gives them employment background

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that when they make application for employment, they could say, I worked in this in these slots. Now these slots are located either in the, uh, governmental areas the the county, the city or such as that or in non profit, community based organizations. Well, now a zai

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here, you there. What would happen if they have special needs or needs for that matter, that would be related to the training that I'm thinking in such things of child care, maybe, or transportation to and from. I think this is probably one of the most positive

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parts of the of the whole gained program. In order for us to require them to participate, we have to assure that they have adequate transportation or we have to provide them adequate transportation to there place of employment or to their place of training educational trading. Also,

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we have to be sure that they have acceptable child care before they could be required either going to trading or into job placement in approving the county Sonoma County gained plan. The State Department Social Services has provided funding for both of these activities. So we do

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have money available that if they have either or both of these needs, we can provide that to them. Well, certainly from where you describe this part seems like gain is a comprehensive programme. But now, frankly, do you feel it will be successful over the long haul?

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I'm very positive about the game, Programas I said. I've been in public well for for 37 years. I've seen a lot of workfare programmes come and go. So called work for programs or employment programs, most of which have been dead ended. They haven't been targeted to

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the people who really, really need the help. They've been a inadequately funded. I feel that the gate and program because the training is tied to local conditions, that is conditions within an individual county and to the jobs in our own community that recipients we'll have greater

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success as faras as getting into the labour field is concerned. Um, gain requires a written contract between the participant and the county, which contains some commitment on their part as well as the county's commitment to meet their needs during the training or employment that they undertake.

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So there is a written commitment there for them to participate. Most work for plans in the past have been somewhat punitive. They've been political. They want to assure the participants jumped through certain priests at ST Right hoops, and they've had no response or sensitivity to the

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individual needs and desires. Gain does not do any of these. Gate is targeted to the individual what they want, what they were able to do and is more individualized. Well, you you call it in greater avenues for independence or its name is, and I think that's

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exactly what is providing. UH, you said that gains been operating in Sonoma County since October 87. Uh, in Sonoma County alone. How does it work so far? Well, considering that the 1st 2 months say October November were needed to start up and make referrals to the

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game probing such as that, I believe we've had a very good rate of success. As an example. In the 1st 4 months of our operation, we've been successful in obtaining employment for 37 individuals at a average wage of $6.83. This is very important because our pregame

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survey showed that they would have to work at $6 something in order to take them off of welfare. The result of that is of the 37 participants, 20 of them have gone completely off of the welfare rolls now, and 17 of them have had substantial reductions

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in the amount of grant that they receive. So I think it really has been an improvement. There is one more thing I would like that I believe has contributed to our success thus far. We have somewhat of a unique arrangement here in Sonoma County not found

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in any of the other counties, and that is that we've contract ID. We're five community based organizations to do certain elements of the game programs such as the job search, the job club, the on job training and prep components of a plan. These are community based

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organizations located in areas where the recipient themselves are so they don't have to all come to Santa Rosa to receive the equal kinds of services that are provided in Santa Rosa, the shrouding area. These services were provided by the California Human Development Corporation in the northern

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part of the county. The services were provided by the Circuit Rider Productions, incorporated in the southern part of the county by the Pendulum of People Service Center in the restaurant section of the county by the River Community Services in In Sonoma by the Social Advocates for

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Youth. This arrangement, in my opinion, is provably proven, highly successful and I believe will become a way of providing gain services in other counties in the state as well. Well, those five organizations are well known. They all have a a very enviable record. I think of

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success and of serving people and actually accomplishing something with their program. And I think the fact that the five of them are part of your program here as much as any other. One thing, including your staff may assure its success. Don't you agree? They have an

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excellent track record, and that was one of the reasons why they were selected. Well, uh, obviously, Paul and gains had a a successful start, and I suppose that your people in the owner's right now that might if you know, that they'd like to have some more

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information regarding game. If that's the case, whom do they call? We have a general information number for anyone in the community interested in learning more about gain. And they should call 5 to 7 to 147 and ask any questions that they have. And they will be

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responded to 57 to 14 Senate, right, 5 to 7 to 147 Paul, I'm ever questions. I want to ask you here, here, but I want to die GREss for just a minute. What various services make up Social Service Department. You have several divisions, don't you? There

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are several divisions in the welfare department, and most known in the community is our income maintenance side where we administer the aid to families with dependent Children. Uh, the food stabs the medic out of the general assistance programs, but less is known about the social services

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that we provide as an example, most people in the general population do not know that we are the designated legal agency for the reporting of all child abuse. Sexual abuse, neglect this sort. They were obligated under the law to follow up and respond to those kinds

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of of reports. We also provide protective services to adults who are in need of those. We have an adult protective services, and we haven't in home support services where we put in home shore providers to maintain the individual in their own home as long as possible

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without them having to go to the more costly convalescent hospitals or acute hospitals. We'll also that last thing you touched on, we're getting to that senior citizen bracket now, so we think more about these things. But the thing you just mentioned there of keeping people in

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their own home has been proven, at least from others I've talked with over the years to have extended the life and the health. A lot of people, I'm able to stay in those circles from circumstances That is definitely proven. It's a It's a major shock when

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the individual finally has to move from their feeling of security in their own home into a a strange environment that's provided in convalescent hospitals O. R. In acute hospitals. Many of them, at that point in time, simply give up. They see this is now they're now

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they're placed there to die and they give up and their death comes much faster. If we can keep them in their own home, where they feel secure when they have familiar surroundings, they last much longer. That's I think that's a very important. We're at a point

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now. We're gonna postpone what the station, bring the audience a public service announcement. We're gonna come back when we come back. We'll talk about some of the other changes that have occurred in your department. I know there's been a lot of ladies and gentlemen Paul Allen,

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the social service director for the county of Cinema, and I will return first. These messages. This is Father John Cruise, director of Hannah Boy Center. Please listen to a good friend of our boys. This is Jodie Marsh, and I'd like to talk Tiu about Hannah Boy

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puzzle. It's a hereditary eye disease that causes blindness mainly, and Children and young adults were searching for the cause of RP and a way to treat and prevent it. Stopping RP takes research and education, and that's the purpose of the RPI Foundation fighting blindness. Please help

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us because fighting RP isn't a game. It's saving a child site. Call toll free 1 806 38 23 100 Welcome back to this edition of Sonoma County in the eighties. We're talking to Paul Emmalin Junior, and he is the director of Social Services or the Social

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welfare department for the County of Sonoma. We were talking first about the game program that's greater avenues for Independence, and Paul explained not only that that program had started here in Sonoma County last October, but he explained how it works on the fact that it's so

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far been very, very successful. Uh, power there have been. I know a lot of other changes in your department. Go at it. Okay. One of the other major changes that occurred January 1st is the Board of Supervisors gave the responsibility for the upfront initial investigations of

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dependence of the court. To my to my department. This touches somewhat upon our previous conversation about us having child protective services in my in my department that very few people knew about. So this ties right in with that. And this means that you are now in

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charge of the dependent unit, for instance, that not yet. But what this does mean is that prior to January 1st of this year, the probation department did the initial investigation of allegations of child abuse, sexual abuse, neglect in this or think if the evidence was there

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to support it. They then filed a dependency petition in the juvenile court, and once that was adjudicated and the child was declared too dependent, the court. Then that child was remanded to our care in custody for supervision of that child while they were in placement in

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their own home, perhaps, or in out of home placement in a foster home or institution or group home. Not since January 1st, we now have that upfront responsibility as well, so that the Social Workers and my department now do what the probation deputy probation officers previously

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did in doing the investigation and the, um, filing in the courts of the dependency petition. What this means now is that we have the full range of services to the dependence of the court except for the dependent unit at the present time. Okay, now did the

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border supervisor and make any other changes in this relationship as well? That's that's right. The Dependent Unit presently is operated by the probation department. It's located out of Los will, a kiss. And just within the last three or four weeks, the border supervisors decided to transfer

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responsibility for the dependent unit over to my department as well. And that will occur finally, September 1st of this year, there will be a phase in period where we have kind of joint responsibility, the probation officer and myself from July through the end of August and

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September 1st, it all becomes mine, and in that way we will have that then the total services to the dependence of the court and probation will then have responsibility for the delinquent of the court. This kind of falls in line with some of the board survives

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thinking that dependence of the court, not having committed a crime or anything like that, should not be under the criminal justice system. And certainly this removes them from the criminal justice system. This is a much more logical division. I think I certainly agree with the board

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in that respect. Uh, no. Let me say this to didn't I, um, also remember the board making some change during last year's budget hearings? And that wasn't related to where that was related to. At that time, I guess there was an anticipated transfer of the dependent

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you Nick ut by. But what happened as a result of that? Well, they were concerned about the length of time Children were being left in the dependent unit, the lack of adequate foster homes to place these Children in particularly preschool Children. And so they gave us

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a foster home recruiter on, and she's been on board and been effectively recruiting foster homes since October 1st of last year. In this way, it gives us an opportunity to develop what we call satellite foster homes so that we can divert preschool Children primarily from going

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into the dependent unit over into one of these satellite homes. Now who it's just who is the person that, uh, that's in charge of that. Now her name is Lynn, or pimento, right? We had one of the doors against I think you had her one time

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on that. That was certainly a part of her recruitment activity. She's appeared before. Numerous service clubs, Tritch organizations, etcetera, Teoh bring the message of the need for foster homes to the general public to solicit couples who are interested to become foster parents. Yeah, that is a

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program that that I would certainly like to see the public in general take a heart more so than have, maybe sometimes in the past. There are a lot of youngsters out there who, through no fault of their own, need a home. Sometimes it's only a temporary

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circumstance. Sometimes it's more lasting than that. But the fact that there are homes out there, people who would welcome Children if they knew about it well, today we're trying to make sure that you do know about it. So anyone out there that that is interested in

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providing a foster home for youngsters should call the department, and they would talk to the ring Lynn, or rather, forgive me, Louro Pimentel, And what number would they call for that call? They should call her at 5 to 7 to 956 and I'm sure that she

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will be most happy to explain the foster home licensing process to them. 5 to 7 to 956 right, right, Okay, So if you are interested in assisting the county and the youngsters who through no fault of their own need a home for the time being called

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North Pimentel at 57 to 956 we have films left with Paul in the time remaining trade. Another major change. I know this happened way. We've all been well aware of the homeless problem in Sonoma County, and it's been a serious problem throughout the state of California,

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particularly during the winter months. And last year, the state Legislature passed a B 17 33 which is administered through the local welfare departments and in effect is in two parts. The first part is to provide emergency shelter wherever that may be found in motels. We're very

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fortunate here and have safe House, which is operated by the Salvation Army, and they've taken many families in. Now it's limited to families with Children. It's limited to families who would be eligible for a F. D. C or who in fact are receiving a F. D.

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C and the emergency phase. We can pay $30 a night for 21 days to place them out of the rather and into emergency shelter. We can pay more than that for larger families over four people. We can pay more than $30. It's limited to $60 now,

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in the second phase of the program. During the emergency phase, they have to be looking for permanent housing. One of the things that's been a block to people getting in off of the streets into permanent housing has been the, uh, first of last month threat of

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the security deposit. They just couldn't put that together. This program allows us to also pay the last month's rent and security deposit to the landlord to get them into permanent shelter. And so it's a very valuable program Overy Positive program and one that's been badly needed.

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Yeah, and I'm certainly glad you people are working with that. We have found in this last year, and I talked with Georgia Berlin, who is with the Human Service Commission. Time with you, we have fell and also, for that matter, Linda Garcia, with the farm and

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home adviser's office and over the past year, we've learned that there's a lot of people out there that are hungry, and there are an awful lot of people that are homeless. And this these air not by any means are these people all derelicts or anything of

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this nature. These air people that for one reason or another down on their luck, can't put together the amount of money to get first from the last month. Red Cross the cleaning, supplies it in the damage, deposit everything else to get into a home. I think

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what amazed us in those studies, particularly for the hungry on the shoulder, is the number of families with small Children that's out on the streets. Eso, as you say, you know the usual image of the derelict. Why, no, this sort of thing doesn't apply anymore. Now.

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These air families, through no fault of their own, are out there and with Children in cars, sleeping under bridges. And this is a a grave concern to us. And I think that's one reason why the Legislature passed this a B 17 33. You know, someone tell

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this one of our programs not too long ago that that any family you know that doesn't own a home, that we're both people work and it's a limited income deal may only be 90 days from being homeless themselves, right? And this is it's a It's a

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frightening thing for him to think of, but it's being proven true again and again, isn't it? That's true. And when you talk to the these families and the homeless, none of them that I've talked Teoh ever felt that they would ever be in that position. And

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you know this is this is very detrimental to them to suddenly find themselves in this position. And, as you say, any one of us at any given time with a turn of events, confined herself in the same position. So there but the grace of God and

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a little good fortune go any of us. We should all remember that pound. If somebody is interested in learning more about the emergency shelter program, that where would they call what's going on? We can give them for that information. Well, we do have an information referral

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unit, and that's where they have most of the information. So they should call 5 to 7 to 108 However, if they're in outlying areas where that would be a toll call, we also have a toll free number that they could call. And that's 1 803 to

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59604 Let's take a pause and go over those gently. The local number here, the local number would be 5 to 7 to 108 and that would bring them into our information referral unit, where their questions would be answered. If there's a toll call involved that they

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have a free toll free number, which is 1 803 to 59604 Good, excellent, Paul. Down to a minute or so left. Do you have any final thoughts? One of things I was thinking of, what we talked about before is welfare myths and these. These everything's really

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our their tragic and people believe them, but they're almost laughable when when the truth is known. I can think of any of these offhand that that have come to lightly Well, I think the greatest myth, of course, is that people on welfare want to be on

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welfare. That is, through some thought of their own, that they're on welfare and they wouldn't work if you gave him a job. I think we're proving that faults, certainly through the gain program. We have people volunteering coming forth. They don't have to, and they're coming forth

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saying they want to work. They want to be trained. They want to get off of welfare In my 37 years again going back, and I started out as a case carrying worker myself and it talking with welfare recipients. They were very, very few who appeared to

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enjoy the life on welfare. All of them wanted some way. Some means of getting off of welfare and becoming independent, self sufficient again. So I think that's the major myth that just doesn't exist. It certainly is. I hope everybody heard what Paul said about that people

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there. In most cases, you don't want to be there. They would like very much to be out of productive members of society. Thank you, brother. Thank you for having the head. It's always nice to talk. It's always nice to find out what's new in the social

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services to and find out what we're doing to help people get back into the mainstream. Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Richman. 20. The program You've been watching it Sonoma County in the eighties. We'll be back next week for another member of the county government, family

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or a related agency. We learn a little bit more about this county we all live in, and I think it's a county we all love killin. Good night. Good health. Good luck. You get everyone, Uh