Work First Employment Services

Work First began in July 1995, and is North Carolina's plan to help families stay off welfare or move off welfare and into jobs. Work First is not just a cash assistance program, rather, it is built upon the belief that "all people have a responsibility to their families and community to work and provide for their children."

Work First means what it says. Work is required for families on welfare. Work First is based on the premise that parents have a responsibility to support themselves and their children. Through Work First, parents can get short-term training and families can get childcare assistance and other services to help them become self-sufficient, but ultimately the responsibility is theirs, and most families have two years to move off welfare. In any given month, depending on how many families come into the system, how long they stay, and how many leave, the number of families on welfare rises or falls.

The Work First program enables citizens to become self sufficient by linking them with resources and skill that help them succeed. Work First provides short-term assistance to help families achieve economic independence. Types of assistance include financial, job training, job placement, and other services. We partner with the Chamber of Commerce, Employment Security Commission, and Vocational Rehab to help find jobs for clients. Work First Employment Services works with former or current Work First recipients to help them secure and retain a job.

Work First enables citizens to become self-sufficient by linking them with resources and skills that help them secure and maintain employment. The program provides temporary short-term financial assistance and supportive services to low-income families. Those families receiving a monthly check must cooperate with Child Support Enforcement, register with Employment Security Commission (First Stop), complete substance abuse screening and actively participate in work-related activities leading to self-sufficiency. This is not an entitlement program.

A Work First Social worker gives every applicant that indicates they need “cash” assistance a “full family assessment” before any cash assistance is considered. The social worker does an in-depth assessment to determine what the needs, strengths and problems are. Since “cash” assistance is no longer an entitlement program, every effort is made to divert the client to other programs/services in order to meet their needs.

If after being assessed the Work First social worker determines the client needs cash assistance, the client is then referred to a Work First Human Resource Placement Specialist. That worker determines if the client is eligible to receive cash assistance.

Recognizing this, Work First emphasizes three strategies:

Diversion: Keeping families off welfare by helping them cope with unexpected emergencies or setbacks. Under Work First, qualifying families can get up to three months worth of cash Diversion Assistance, childcare, Food Stamp benefits, and Medicaid, if they stay off welfare.
Work: Shortening the length of time that families are on welfare by making work mandatory and by limiting how long a family can receive cash assistance. To receive Work First benefits, parents must register with the First Stop Employment Assistance Program, sign a Mutual Responsibility Agreement, and once they move into the phased-in work requirement, they can continue to receive benefits for up to 24 months. Families reaching the 24-month limit cannot reapply for welfare for three years.
Retention: Helping families that leave welfare to stay off by encouraging them to save and by helping to make sure they really are better off working than on welfare.
Work First cash assistance is provided primarily for children. Biological or adoptive parents and stepparents may apply for assistance for a child and must be included in the payment for the family, unless they are disqualified from the program. Other relatives and individuals, regardless of their relationship, who have legal custody or guardianship of children may apply for assistance on their behalf, but will not be included in the payment to the family. Work First cash assistance is not provided to pregnant women without other dependent children.

First Stop Employment Assistance Program
As a requirement of the State's welfare reform law, Work First applicants who are not exempt are required to register for the First Stop Employment Assistance Program with the Employment Security Commission (ESC) before applying for Work First. As part of First Stop, county departments may contract with the ESC to further assist registrants through job search, job placement, or referral to a community service placement, or they may enter into an agreement with the community college system or any other entity to operate the Job Preparedness component. ESC has provided an automated solution to tracking First Stop registrants' progress toward employment. The automated tool that is available allows ESC and county departments to communicate about families' progress, status, and support services needed and provided. This is a valuable partnership that has proven effective and powerful in helping families leave welfare for work and even getting a job and avoiding welfare altogether.

Click here for a list of Work First Eligibility Requirements