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10 <br />The information gathered from the group provided an in depth view and understanding of <br />family service needs to enable them to be more self-sufficient. <br />Orange County's current Work First population faces major obstacles in obtaining and <br />retaining employment: Work First participants are competing for jobs with a highly <br />skilled workforce. Unskilled and semi-skilled workers without a high school diploma <br />and a recent connection to the workforce are unable to obtain jobs that provide a living <br />wage. Barriers such as substance abuse, criminal records, and chronic physical and <br />mental health problems have no quick fix. Frequently, individuals have faced more than <br />one of these barriers. They are able to resolve them as a result of participant <br />commitment, adequate resources, and over time. <br />A profile of our Work First caseload is described below: <br />Work First Caseload Data <br />Cases with an adult recipient 166 <br />Child-only cases 157 <br />Total cases 323 <br />Total recipients 697 <br />Work First Profile <br />• 95% are women, 5% are men <br />• 50% are under age 30, 50% are over <br />• 50% have high school diploma <br />• 56% live in Northern Orange <br />• 44% live in Southern Orange <br />• On average families have one child <br />• Average payment $215 <br />Length of Time on Work First <br />• 0-6 months - 47% <br />• 7-12 months - 16% <br />• 13-24 months - 13% <br />• 25-36 months - 7% <br />• 37-48 months - 4% <br />• 49-60 months - 2% <br />• Over 60 months-11 <br />