Tax cuts have hurt Ohio residents

Athens County Job and Family Services Director Jack Frech wrote a letter to the editor recently discussing the state budget situation, the 2005 income tax reductions and Senate Bill 5. Click here to read a copy of the letter as published in The Athens NEWS.

Too poor to die

Ten years ago, Ohio eliminated the program that provided state money for indigent burials in order to save a relatively small amount in the state budget. Today, when so many people are struggling to get by and poverty is rampant, many families have no money to pay for funeral expenses when a loved one dies. Click below to read the story of on Athens County family faced with this tragic situation, and see how the community pulled together to help the family now that the state has turned its back on this responsibility.

The impact of welfare reform in America

In a country where nearly 7 million children are living in extreme poverty, how can anyone claim that welfare reform has been a success? Athens County Job and Family Services recently completed a report examining the impact that welfare reform has had in America. The report looks at the stated goals of welfare reform and shows how the reforms have affected people living in poverty. The report also includes commentaries from conservative and liberal leaders, poverty statistics, media reports on welfare reform and information on out-of-wedlock births. To read the news release about the report, click here. To go right to the report, click here.

America's welfare system

Athens County Job and Family Services recently compiled a great deal of information dealing with the 1996 Welfare Reform Act and the impact it has made. One main point of the research was to look at the stated goals of welfare reform and how the goals have or have not been met in the last 15 years. The agency also gathered together studies of welfare reform by different organizations, commentaries from conservative and liberal researchers, and newspaper clips dealing with the reform and its impact.

Click here to read over the information dealing with the Welfare Reform Act and the impact it has made.

Fast and Free Tax Assistance Center set to open soon, but needs volunteers

The Athens County Fast and Free Tax Assistance Center is scheduled to open later in January, but urgently needs more volunteers to help with the tax returns, answer phones, schedule appointments, greet customers and assist in other ways. Click here to read more about how you can volunteer at the Athens County Fast and Free Tax Assistance Center.