Chautauqua County's welfare to work numbers were pathetic earlier this year.
In January, only 10 percent of those eligible were participating. Later this year, the county's Department of Social Services was making progress by upping that number to 13 percent.
Where do we stand today?
The issue seems to have lost steam. So much so, that this month the Human Services Committee canceled its monthly meeting, which would have been Wednesday.
So have the welfare to work numbers become so much better that it does not have to be addressed on a monthly basis? Hardly.
Our numbers currently hover around 16 percent. The state average was 34 percent, it has since declined. If fewer are working, that means more are on assistance.
More progress must be made to get our county numbers closer to the state average. Canceling a monthly meeting that addresses this issue does not fix this problem.
