Bryan Melara / Roundup
Every weekday morning Pelona Gvargez wakes up takes her 3-year-old to child care and proceeds to Pierce College.
At Pierce she receives financial, mental and educational benefits by way of the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids program.
The essential assistance CalWORKs provides recipients with, in their educational as in their personal lives via the welfare-to-work program can be coming to a drastic end.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled a new budget proposal in May’s revised budget, the proposal would completely eliminate the CalWORKs program.
The move is expected to save the state $1.6 billion and take effect October 1, 2010. If passed California would be the only state in the nation without a welfare program.
Lawmakers have voted against the governor’s proposal as they have in the past, but the governor has already said he will use his negotiating leverage and continue to pursue the changes that have been blocked year after year.
CalWORKs, the state’s main welfare program, for years has provided low-income families with job training, day care assistance via the Child Care Resource Center (CCRC) and an average of $500 a month for household and educational expenses.
About 1.4 million people statewide would be affected with the elimination.
According to californiabudgetcuts.org 77.9 percent of people on CalWORKs are children.
“If they cut off CalWORKs I don’t know how I’m gonna survive,” said Malika Isaeva, 38, CalWORKs recipient and single mother of one. “I’m gonna be on the streets.”
If cut, many students on the program would be forced to drop-out of school in hopes of finding a full-time job to support their families.
“If I don’t have any CalWORKs I don’t have any CCRC, so I would have to drop out and find a job.” said Gvargez, 29, “If I would find a job all my money would go towards day care, it’s very expensive.”
Gvargez, an immigrant from Iran came to the U.S. three years ago with her husband and child in hopes of a better life, not having other family in the U.S. makes her situation harder than is.
“We’re trying for a better life, but without help from CalWORKs we can’t do anything.” said Gvargez.
At Pierce about 251 students are on the CalWORKs program according to Abbey Klein, director of CalWORKs.
Klein, who came to Pierce in 1999 has seen the CalWORKs program have a positive, life-changing effect on people.
“We provide a measure of support,” she said. “The whole point of the Cal Works system is to lift people up, not to let them drown.”
Former Pierce student and recipient of CalWORKs, Alan Gorgi, 40, recalls coming to America and having a difficult time adapting to the lifestyle and learning the language.
“Because of this program I’m able to talk to people and socialize without fear,” he said.
Gorgi, recently graduated from California State University Northridge with a degree in Medical Administration and has applied to work at Kaiser Permanente and other medical centers.
“From the deepest part of my heart I appreciate what the program has done for me,” he said.
CalWORKs aids single, one parent families and low income families “with financial needs.”
“We know there are students at Pierce that haven’t found us yet,” said Klein. “It’s very important they come to us, because we have services that can help them”
Until the program is officially abolished, Klein urges students to visit the CalWORKs office located in the second floor of the Student Services building.
“Hopefully the whole program is left in tact,” she said. “Because I can’t imagine what would happen to people if it weren’t.”