The Meigs County Department of Job and Family Services has taken on new responsibilities in the past two years. The Meigs County Board of Commissioners has authorized the agency to serve as the county Workforce Development Agency/Employment and Training One Stop. Agency staff now assists residents with their employment and training needs.

Staff determines eligibility of residents for programs such as Ohio Works First (OWF) cash, Food Stamps, and Medicaid. Along with that determination, an individual or family assessment is completed to determine what steps need to be followed to enable them to provide for themselves. Many times residents only need help in overcoming an emergency situation that is keeping them from finding or retaining employment or attending training. In those situations, we look at the Prevention, Retention, Contingency (PRC) Program to assist them. Our goal is to help all able-bodied individuals to overcome their barriers to self-sufficiency and enable them to provide for themselves and their families.

If needed we will assists residents with child care, job search, resume writing, Internet job leads, labor market information, car repair, employment needs such as tools, and uniforms. If an individual is interested in training to obtain employment or additional training to obtain a better job, staff will look for eligibility for funding for up to two years through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). In addition, the staff works with employers who are seeking to fill positions, by matching individual skills to the position and making referrals. The One-Stop Employment & Training Center is located on the second floor of our office and is open to the public, and walk in’s are welcome.

Welfare reform gave counties the flexibility to move into other areas to assist residents of the county. We believe the only way welfare reform can be successful is through the creation of jobs in our area.. The County Commissioners gave the go ahead to use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to partner with the county economic development agency in a long range plan to try to improve the economic conditions of our county. Meigs county was one of the first in the state to move forward in this area, and the example has been followed by the majority of the counties in the state.

In a county with a historically high unemployment rate we feel it is important to offer all of the assistance we can to our residents. We realize that it will be virtually impossible to completely eliminate cash assistance, but feel that by investing in economic development, education and training and supportive services we can provide assistance to a majority of our residents in obtaining the necessary skills that lead self-sufficiency.