Jean Meroni

Transportation Broker

Work First New Jersey

While one of the goals of this planning project is to develop transportation alternatives that can increase mobility for all Monmouth County residents, an immediate need is the identification and/or development of transportation which can be used by Work First New Jersey (WFNJ) participants as they enter the workforce. A brief description of the Work First New Jersey program and the general profile of the typical welfare to work population are provided below. The WFNJ participants within Monmouth County are then presented.

Overview of the Work First New Jersey Program

Work First New Jersey (WFNJ) is the welfare reform initiative of the State of New Jersey in response to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 federal welfare reform legislation. WFNJ was signed into law in March 1997, and was fully implemented in July 1997. The WFNJ program includes program components that are in addition to the federal requirements, in order to better encourage welfare recipients to move toward self sufficiency through work. The goals of the WFNJ program, according to the New Jersey Department of Human Services Office of Policy and Planning are:

 

The federal legislation, entitled the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which passed in August 1996, calls for the following changes:

(1) Elimination of the federal entitlement to cash assistance, (2) provides block grants to states, giving states greater flexibility in funding programs, and (3) institutes a lifetime limit of 60 months on use of federal funds for cash assistance.

Work First New Jersey requires participants to find work or participate in work readiness activities such as job placement, community work experiences, alternative work experiences, work/study, vocational training, on-the-job training, or supported work.. WFNJ, while limiting cash assistance to five years, will make case-by-case exceptions for those who cannot work due to age, health or disability. WFNJ participation requires that both parents are financially responsible for their children. WFNJ provides extended health benefits and child care subsidies to make it easier to get and keep a job. WFNJ is focused on creating partnerships with business and the community. WFNJ involves a number of state and local agencies in the process of assisting WFNJ participants in gaining access to jobs and providing the support needed for success.

Characteristics of WFNJ Participants

The federal welfare reform legislation passed in August 1996 replaced the former Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program with the new Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, which became effective July 1997. Based on a study of national AFDC data, the Urban Institute, in its report titled A General Profile of the Welfare Population, noted the following characteristics:

  • Over 90% of welfare parents are single mothers.
  • Most welfare mothers are age 20-39.
  • Most welfare families have two or fewer children.
  • More than half of welfare recipients have a high school diploma, or some college education.
  • Most welfare recipients worked before receiving benefits, 40 % or more worked during a two-year period, while receiving benefits.

Of the 17,000 current participants in WFNJ statewide, most are recipients of assistance from the former AFDC program. Others are recipients of the New Jersey General Assistance (GA) program funds, although not eligible for federally funded assistance. It is estimated that up to 20 % of these participants will be exempted from work requirements due to age, health or disability. The characteristics of the WFNJ population are as follows:

  • 86% are between the ages of 20 and 39.
  • 45% of single parents have completed high school, 11% have some higher education or training.
  • 65% of single parents receive benefits for a period of less than two years.
  • Over 20 % of single parents work part-time while receiving assistance.

These statistics indicate that there are more complex issues than education that prevent people from getting and keeping jobs. Transportation and access to support services such as health care and child care are necessary for WFNJ participants to move into self-sustaining work.

Monmouth County WFNJ Participants

In Monmouth County, as of March 1998, the number of total TANF recipient families was 2,899. Of this number, 2,803 represent single parent families, predominantly headed by women. Two parent families account for 96 of the recipient families, or 3 % of the total. This indicates that there are child care needs that must be met for mothers to seek work. In addition to the TANF recipients, Monmouth County has 1008 persons receiving New Jersey General Assistance (GA) benefits. Of the 1008 persons, 456 have been determined to be employable. Finally, in December 1997, there were 230 persons receiving temporary rental assistance, and 44 persons receiving other emergency assistance under the state’s GA program. The total potential WFNJ population in Monmouth County is 3,629. This represents less than one percentage of the County’s total population.

TANF recipients that live within Monmouth County, as expected, are generally located along the coastal portion of the county, with concentrations in Asbury Park, Long Branch, Keansburg, Keyport, Red Bank, and Belmar. A significant portion of the TANF recipients are located in throughout Middletown and Howell Townships, which are less densely populated than the coastal communities identified as having higher transportation needs.

Key Travel Destinations in Monmouth County

In conjunction with identifying areas of transportation need, the next step is to identify likely destinations for those who use or would use public transportation. Three primary types of destinations are focused on in this section. They are (1) Employment locations, (2) Child Care Centers, (3) other key destinations such as health care providers, shopping centers, and educational facilities, as well as facilities that serve the WFNJ participants.

Employers

Employment in Monmouth County is predominantly located in service industries. The largest employers in the county are the Department of the Army, AT&T, Laidlaw Transit which provides school bus services, and Monmouth Medical Center. Based on the Dun and Bradstreet data for employers with 100 or more employees, the employers identified as manufacturing entities are located throughout the county. Manufacturing concerns include printers, engineering, plastic, glass, and food products. Predominant sites for employment are located in Red Bank, Freehold, Farmingdale, Oceanport, Holmdel Township, Asbury Park, Neptune, and Manasquan. Marlboro Township has ten employers with 100 to 999 employees each, and Manalapan Township has six. These employers are distributed throughout the townships, indicating there may be transportation needs in lower density areas. Oceanport shows employment concentration as a result of Fort Monmouth, the largest employer in the county, operated by the Department of the Army, which employs 7,300 persons. The Department of the Army also employs 6,000 persons at its site in Tinton Falls. In addition, the Department of the Navy employs approximately 900 persons at its Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck. Monmouth County government is one of the largest employers in the county, with over 3,000 persons in various departments. Other areas of employment in the county are grocery stores, restaurants and education, predominantly high schools, which are more likely than lower schools to employ over 100 people.

It is also significant that there are a number of large employers in Middlesex County, approaching the Newark metropolitan area. Based on the travel patterns identified in the 1990 census more than 25,000 Monmouth County residents commute to Middlesex County for work, representing 9 % of the employees residing in Monmouth County.

In addition to the employers located throughout Monmouth County, WFNJ has identified Corporate Partners which are committed to the goal of getting TANF recipients into positive work settings. Agencies that maintain contact with Corporate Partners are Monmouth County Division of Social Services, Monmouth County Employment Services, Monmouth County Division of Employment and Training. Corporate Partners include Marion Security Agency, and the Workforce Investment Board (WIB) including Viatech, Inc.

Child Care Facilities

Child Care facilities are divided among Licensed Centers and Licensed in-home providers. Child care centers are located primarily in the coastal areas of the county, and along the Route 9/Garden State Parkway corridors. It is probable that child care alternatives such as in-home providers and relatives are used.

Other Key Travel Destinations

One-Stop Career Centers include the Monmouth County Hispanic Affairs and Resource Centers in Asbury Park, Freehold, and Long Branch, the Division of Social Services in Atlantic Highlands, Neptune and Freehold, and area vocational schools. Brookdale Community College also has locations in Asbury Park, Long Branch, and West Keansburg. The Freehold Raceway Mall located on Route 9, and the Monmouth Mall located on Route 35, represent the largest retail concentrations in the county.

The five Hospitals are located in Holmdel, Red Bank, Long Branch, Neptune, and Freehold.


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