While the New Economy is pulling residents out of unemployment, recent welfare reforms are pushing from the other end. Like other states, Illinois has set limits on how long most recipients can get aid before they have to get a job. Most of those people that you see working now - after starting work, they started liking it. But many others have problems sticking with a job, employment counselors say. For example, if a child is feeling ill and stays home from school, single mothers often have little choice but to stay home.
Transportation poses another challenge.
Many first-time workers don't own a car, which puts most suburban jobs out of reach. When DeJuan Lewis first started driving a van for the Lessie Bates Davis center, he had to walk half a mile to work. Now, with 17 months of work under his belt, he's moved closer to the job - and he plans to buy a car. These new workers still have complaints about the New Economy. But he sees himself as the exception.