Millions of dollars in federal welfare-to-work funds have been funneled to California for job training programs, but much of it remains unused, mired in governmental red tape and shifting priorities.
The Department of Labor awarded a grant of $161.8 million to the state nearly a year ago to help long-term welfare recipients with the poorest prospects obtain training.
But less than $9 million has been expended for local programs so far, according to state and federal figures. In a welfare caseload numbering more than 503,000 adults, fewer than 1,700 had been enrolled in job training programs by the end of March.
The bottlenecks are especially severe in Los Angeles County, with a welfare-to-work caseload of more than 135,000 adults. County job training programs received more than $65 million of the federal grant. But only about 150 recipients had been enrolled in the programs through March, according to state numbers, although enrollments have been increasing in the last few weeks. Experts fear that as much as three-quarters of the county's job training grant may go unused this year.
In Orange County, which qualified for about $11 million of the federal moneys, the caseload is about 15,000, with about 600 people enrolled in job training programs, said Angelo Doti, director of family self-sufficiency in the Orange County Social Services Agency. He said he didn't know why Orange County's job training enrollment exceeded that of the larger Los Angeles County.
Interviews with welfare officials and nongovernmental experts reveal several reasons for the money not being used statewide:
* The complicated, strict entry requirements for welfare recipients to join job training programs.
* Difficulty in persuading recipients working at entry level jobs to attend training sessions after a long day at work.
* Tension between welfare officials who believe strongly in job training and those who favor untrained recipients going to work immediately, even if their job is menial. This means that fewer recipients than expected are being steered into training classes.
The low participation rate has become a major issue for several states and has prompted a move to lower the qualifications so more people are eligible.
On the other hand, some members of Congress have threatened to take away unused funds from the program.
