DATE: Wednesday, September 3, 1997          TAG: 9709030498

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   85 lines

WELFARE OFFICIALS, CITIZENS WORRY AS REFORM LOOMS THEY ASK: WHO WILL CARE FOR CHILDREN AND HELP FAMILIES MEET NEW DEMANDS?

Where have all the children gone?

That was one of the most pressing questions participants in a forum on welfare reform had Tuesday.

If the plan to get people off public assistance has been so successful, why have only 20 percent of those families who no longer receive welfare payments taken advantage of child care money that's available through social services, participants asked.

The answers they got didn't seem to satisfy them.

Suzanne Puryear, director of human services for Norfolk and a forum panelist, couldn't answer questions about the fate of the children in the other 80 percent of former welfare recipient families.

During the forum, held at New Hope Community Center two of the five panelists - both officials - tried to sound optimistic while the other three were as pessimistic as the audience. The focus of the discussion was what many saw as the overwhelming nature of the situation as welfare reform looms.

``Listen to what we're saying about the kids,'' pleaded Lynn Repp, who spoke from the floor. ``It scares me.''

Panelist Patricia Frazier, professor of economics at Norfolk State University, was one of those who wanted to know the whereabouts of the missing children.

Two in the audience told her.

``They're running the streets,'' said one woman, who leaned forward in her seat, dismay in her voice. She said that 10 children on her block between the ages of 5 and 7 are unsupervised for all but about two hours each day.

``Child care is the biggest obstacle'' to successful welfare reform, said Walter Dickerson, a member of the audience of about 50. ``The kids are out in the street.''

Edmund Carlson, professor of political science at Virginia Wesleyan College and a panelist, said officials are not sure where some of those who have come off welfare have gone. ``They just drop out of sight.''

Frazier, the NSU professor, was outspoken in her fears about what lies ahead.

``I'm wondering about the breakdown (of money),'' she said. ``Transportation, education, child care. I'm wondering if it will end up being used in the most efficient ways. I wonder if there are jobs out there.''

Her comments drew applause .

She went on: ``If there are savings, what guarantees are there that the state won't use them in some other fiscal way? Citizens need to encourage legislators to see that they go back'' into social programs to help those coming off welfare.

``There's no guarantee about where it goes,'' said Del. Robert McDonnell, R-84th District, who also served on the panel. ``It's a matter for the next legislative session to decide.''

Alice Taylor, executive director of St. Columba Ecumenical Ministries in Norfolk and a panelist, said she fears for single-parent families, one-third of whom she estimated would be ``frozen'' when faced with such a dramatic change in their lives.. ``They'll be hurting and afraid for a couple of months,'' she said. ``Fear is three years down the road. There is no safety net.''

Taylor's organization primarily serves homeless singles, a group, she believes will grow by leaps and bounds as welfare reform grinds into place.

Also on the minds of many in the audience were jobs for those who will leave welfare behind on Oct. 1.

Said Walter Williams: ``Companies are downsizing, getting rid of qualified employees. Are they going to hire'' people new to the work force with limited job skills?

McDonnell, again sounding optimistic, said that while a worker ``can't possibly support a family on a minimum-wage job . . . this is America'' and there are many success stories. He advised individualized mentoring trough social services and church partnerships to address what the government has not. He said also that van-pooling, rental cars and even cabs were possible solutions to the transportation woes of welfare-to-workfare folks.

``I'm afraid those affected lack the basic skills to go forward,'' said Frazier. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

BETH BERGMAN/The Virginian-Pilot

Roseann Carlson of Virginia Beach listens to a welfare reform

discussion Tuesday in Norfolk. Panelists and audience members were

worried about how families will make the transition to work from

welfare. Child care and transportation were high on a list of

concerns. KEYWORDS: WELFARE REFORM

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