The Athens County Department of Jobs and Family Services has laid off 25 employees during the 2009 fiscal year, which is almost 20 percent of their total employment.
Nineteen layoffs, in addition to prior layoffs, were announced at yesterday's Athens County Commissioners' meeting.
State budget cuts have forced the agency to eliminate positions and programs by July, the beginning of the 2010 fiscal year. Preliminary figures show that the department will lose about $1.3 million in state and federal funding by then.
Jobs and Family Services has also considered reducing its hours of operations and cutting programs.
Many of the programs that we have cut or reduced are programs that have been identified by state and federal leaders as necessary and effective
Jack Frech, the department director, said.
Programs that help prevent teen pregnancy, provide proper dental care opportunities and help impoverished residents find jobs have all been reduced or eliminated. The consequences of these cuts could include longer eligibility application periods. The cuts come when demand of such services is rising.
We still feel very strongly that in addition to all of these cuts in services that the families that we serve are not being given enough assistance to meet their basic human needs Frech said.
The latest layoffs will occur April 3.
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Dan Quarfoot
