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"Poverty in Orange County: The Issues that Remain" <br />choices, poor housing, and a lack of regular medical care are factors that <br />impact the health status of the poor. <br />Orange County Department of Social Services Director Nancy Coston <br />made the case that poverty lies not just in salary figures but in the costs <br />of things that are needed. Families must ask, "Do we have enough <br />resources to pay for our basic needs ?" Housing, healthcare, and daycare <br />come at a high cost in Orange County. She said that any family could <br />become impoverished by an unexpected medical or unemployment <br />crisis. Coston suggested the creation of jobs with more sufficient wages <br />and job training. <br />Josh Diem, Program Director for Project Home Start/ Inter -Faith Council <br />for Social Service, said that one of the most important points in Dr. <br />Dobelstein's speech was that there is a need for social services <br />professionals to work their way out of their job. Diem said that he loves <br />his job, but he hates that it exists. Social services agencies might <br />accomplish this by taking discussions like this out into the public and <br />forcing legislative officials to talk about the issues. He was saddened <br />that the cost of living in Orange County was so high that some of the <br />people who work in Orange County cannot afford to live in the. <br />Rev. Sharon Freeland, Director of Orange Congregations in Mission, said <br />that Orange County was prosperous, but that it contains many poor <br />people. She found that poverty had become too intellectualized. She <br />challenged the officials and professors to come to northern Orange <br />County to see the extent of the lack of resources. She said that the real <br />story of poverty should be told. She is currently trying to put together <br />packages of help for people that draw upon churches, social services, <br />and other agencies. <br />Director of Orange County Department on Aging Jerry Passmore began <br />by saying that all of the human services in the world mean nothing to <br />low- income persons and families in the community if they cannot get to <br />the services. All of the efforts to employ low- income persons and <br />families are useless if they cannot get to the jobs. He said that if we are <br />to solve the poverty issue today, the issue of transportation must be <br />dealt with (steps he mentioned are shown in the table below) . <br />0 <br />