Barstow leads county in welfare rolls, again

Nearly 35 percent of Barstow residents get assistance By JASON SMITH, staff writer BARSTOW — In 2007, more than a third of Barstow residents received some form of welfare benefits, making the city the highest aid recipient in the county relative to its population size. According to a report recently released by the San Bernardino County Department of Human Services, about 8,400 people — nearly 35 percent of Barstow residents — are expected to receive some type of welfare assistance in 2007, totaling more than $45 million in benefits. The report tracks only the aid distributed through the CalWORKs cash benefit program, food stamps, child care assistance and the Medi-Cal insurance program. The welfare programs are funded through the federal and state governments but administered at the county level. The report does not include Social Security benefits, unemployment assistance, subsidized housing or any Veteran’s Affairs benefits that some residents receive. The 2007 projections represent little change from 2006, when Barstow topped county welfare roles as well with more than 36 percent of residents — 8,500 people — expecting to receive benefits. The number of residents receiving food stamps and Medi-Cal remained about the same over the year and the number of cash benefit recipients decreased slightly from 2,819 in 2006 to 2,720 in 2007. The total amount of child care assistance provided to Barstow residents moving from welfare to work, also decreased from $89,500 to $75,700. As a county San Bernardino residents receive more than $1.5 billion each year in welfare benefits. Barstow has the highest percent of residents receiving aid but larger cities, such as San Bernardino, Ontario and Victorville, also have high numbers of welfare recipients. Cities with comparably sized populations to Barstow such as Yucca Valley, Loma Linda and Twenty-nine Palms have about 10 to 20 percent of residents receiving aid. David Zook, spokesman for county First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, said that he is not completely sure why Barstow consistently tops the list of aid recipients but thinks that the low cost of rents in Barstow partly explain the high numbers. He said that Barstow’s low rents make the city an affordable place for low-income residents and the city’s distance from major population centers makes finding high-paying jobs difficult. “For example, comparing Barstow to the Victor Valley, it’s easier for Victor Valley people to find higher-paying jobs. Victorville is only an hour away from the major job centers. Once you get out as far away as Barstow, its less feasible for people to find those jobs.” Paul Herrera, communications coordinador for the county’s Economic Development Agency, agreed that finding adequately paying jobs for residents was key to reducing the need for welfare. He said the county offers a variety of workforce training, employment assistance and job fairs designed to help low-income residents find work. He said education was key in order for residents to qualify for better paying jobs rather than the minimum wage jobs many welfare recipients are forced to take. Barstow resident Cynthia Peralta, who currently receives food stamps, said that most recipients don’t want to receive aid but are forced to out of necessity. She said she’s seen “all kinds of people of all ages” asking for help. She said she thinks San Bernardino County receives a lot of low-income residents “shipped in” from larger cities and said the solution to reducing the welfare rolls lies in improving the educational system. “The school system doesn’t have enough programs to teach kids what life’s about. The school system needs to be better,” she said.