THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 18, 1995 TAG: 9510180563
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JO-ANN CLEGG, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
The Coalition for the Common Wealth, a recently formed alliance of colleges, social service providers and nonprofit organizations, is sponsoring a daylong public symposium on Virginia welfare reform Friday at St. Nicholas Catholic Church.
``We want to raise awareness that there will be significant impact from the changes in the (welfare) law,'' said Dr. Virginia O'Keefe, social justice minister for St. John the Apostle Catholic Church. ``As a community, we should be preparing for the impact. We should have things in place.''
Among the changes the symposium will be examining is the provision for limiting aid to individuals to a period of two years.
According to O'Keefe, the group is especially interested in preparing the business community for its part in the reform.
``They should be aware'' that they're the ones who are going to be placing people coming off public assistance in jobs, she said.
Dr. Roberta Spalter-Roth, research director for the Institute for Women's Policy Research, will speak on ``How Do We Achieve True Welfare Reform?'' The institute is a Washington-based, nonprofit, scientific research organization dedicated to the study of women-centered policy issues.
Spalter-Roth has directed research projects that have investigated such topics as unemployment insurance, earned income tax credit, temporary disability insurance and food stamps. Most recently she testified on welfare reform before the House Sub-Committee on Human Resources, Committee on Ways and Means.
The seminar will include a discussion of welfare issues by a panel consisting of Howard Cullum, former Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Services; Cassandra Frazier, a public assistance recipient; state Sen. Clarence Holland; Suzanne Puryear, Norfolk Human Services director; and Marie Torrans, United Way of South Hampton Roads, director of government relations.
Those attending also will have the opportunity to attend two of the following workshops: ``Imagining Alternatives to Welfare''; ``Three Strikes and You're Out - What Will Women Pay for this Pitch?''; ``Why Social Welfare? For the Well-being of the People!''; and ``Building the Social Welfare Reform Network.''
The seminar will run from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Registration, which includes lunch with legislators, is $10 for adults, $3 for students. Child care and scholarships may be available for interested persons. Call 430-8020. ILLUSTRATION: Dr. Roberta Spalter-Roth, research director for the Institute
for Women's Policy Research, will speak on ``How Do We Achieve True
Welfare Reform?''
by CNB