At 29 years old, Roshayl Burchfield saw her life differently. She was enrolled in school and married with two kids, but her husband’s cancer diagnosis sent them into a tailspin toward poverty.
As her 32-year-old husband’s cancer progressed and the chemotherapy treatments became more intense, he was forced to quit his job. Then, Burchfield herself was diagnosed with cancer.
Burchfield and her husband were dealt yet another economic blow when an emergency custody order brought two children from a previous relationship into their home — two more mouths to feed.
The Plains family of six found itself relying on only about $1,400 in monthly aid from the government to stay afloat — about $700 in unemployment compensation and almost $700 in food stamps each month.
“We appreciate all the help we can get,” Burchfield said. “It’s really hard not just on us but on our family too. The government is helping us to survive right now.”
And the money barely stretches across the family’s monthly expenses.
Their two-bedroom apartment costs $500 a month, not including utilities, Burchfield said. The family members live on top of one another.
Despite the Burchfields’ hardship, recent unemployment trends suggest other area families may not be facing such problems.
Athens County experienced an unemployment rate decrease of 2.1 percent in 2011, while the state’s rate only decline 1.2 percent, according to Ohio Department of Job and Family Services data.
“If the unemployment rate is down (a few percent), that’s an indicator that things are improving,” said Charlene Kalenkoski, associate professor of economics at Ohio University.
“Even though it’s not the greatest measure, it’s the best measure we have.”
The county’s December unemployment rate of 7 percent is better than in previous years, but that rate is still higher than the pre-recession norm. Before 2009, the county unemployment rate hovered at about 6 percent.
“Are we going back to a normal (unemployment rate) or something higher than normal?” Kalenkoski said.
Though unemployment rates have fallen during the past year, the number of people — such as the Burchfields — receiving food assistance increased more than 3 percent in 2011.
“About one in six people are on food assistance in Athens County,” said Nick Claussen, the spokesman for Athens County Job and Family Services. “It’s positive to see the unemployment number go down, but we’ve seen more and more people struggling all the time.”
Many unemployed individuals remain in poverty and receive government assistance, Claussen said.
“From our standpoint, day-to-day, things still seem bad,” Claussen said. “We still have large numbers of people coming in the doors. People still need assistance.”
To be eligible for regular cash assistance, a family of three must make less than about $770 a month before taxes. To receive food assistance, a family of four’s monthly income must be 130 percent of the federal poverty line or less — $2,421.90 per month in 2011.
“Any jobs are good but often times jobs here don’t have insurance and fewer benefits,” Claussen said. “Other counties with manufacturing have better-paying jobs, (but) unfortunately we don’t have that here.”
Athens County has the highest percentage of service jobs in the state, resulting in a lower unemployment rate but a higher poverty rate than surrounding counties, Claussen said.
But Kalenkoski cautioned against comparing unemployment and welfare rates.
“Some people lose their jobs and don’t apply for assistance … and unemployment compensation only lasts for a certain number of weeks,” Kalenkoski said.
Business leaders in Athens County are also concerned about the county economy but have a more optimistic view of what they are expecting in 2012.
“Things are still tough, but I think we are starting to see that recovery is starting to happen,” said Todd Shelton, director of the Athens County Economic Development Council.
“Businesses are starting to look at things differently than they did two or three years ago.”
Though the economy may be turning upward, Shelton said improvements will take time.
“Economic development is a long-term deal. People would like to see short-term results, but each day you need to keep plugging away at it,” Shelton said.
“Eighty percent of job creation doesn’t come from new companies, it comes from local companies expanding.”
Despite the small progress, Shelton said some workers in the county still need assistance.
Families like the Burchfield’s are examples of this.
Burchfield will undergo her own chemotherapy treatments in the near future and said her family could not survive without help from her family and the government.
“We couldn’t survive without the government help,” she said. “Absolutely not.”
dd195710@ohiou.edu
