Counties have broad flexibility in how they design their emergency assistance programs to meet the needs of the community. In his letter, Kevin FitzGerald, director of the NC Division of Social Services, asked county departments of social services to evaluate their current emergency assistance program and, if needed, to revise it to address the needs of families affected by the floods. While counties have a lot of choice in how they use their emergency assistance funds, the services most commonly covered by emergency assistance are helping families through a threatened eviction or other crisis, child welfare services and family preservation true. All of these services can be useful to a family strained by a disaster such as Floyd. The amount each county receives for Work First has remained constant over the last several years, while the welfare rolls have dropped 57 percent.
Counties also have a requirement to maintain county expenditures to Work First.
Assisting people to get back on their feet after the floods is fully compatible with the Work First philosophy and an excellent use of these funds. FitzGerald also expressed his support for county social service departments to use other kinds of flexibility in Work First to help victims of Floyd, including stopping the welfare time clock for families experiencing hardships and extending benefits to those who have used up their 2 year time limit for cash benefits. Many counties have already taken advantage of this option.