1.3 million Americans lost their federal unemployment insurance on December 28 - and another 1.9 million will lose their coverage within the first six months of 2014. Here are the stories of many of them, as told to local and national media in recent days:
California
Vincent Bussey, 57, of Northridge - “I’ve done as much as I can do," the 57-year-old Northridge resident said. “I may have to start sleeping in my car and going to food pantries. I’ve been out of work for a year, and I haven’t had time for any kind of new training because I kept thinking that I would find a job any day." Bussey was doing mortgage modifications at Bank of America in Glendale when he was laid off a year ago. The branch was closed down after a new landlord took over the building and hiked the rent. “I was interviewing with another organization within 30 days of being laid off and things were looking pretty good... but nothing has occurred," he said. “My state unemployment benefits ran out at the end of June and my federal extensions will end after Dec. 28."(California's long-term unemployed may take another hit if benefits expire, The San Gabriel Valley Tribune).
Paula Moffett, 50, of Perris - Moffett had worked in the archive department for Capitol Records in Hollywood but was laid off in August of last year. “Sony bought the publishing side of Capital Records and Warner Brothers got the other part where I worked," she said. “I saw it coming, and when you see things coming you start sending resumes out." Like Bussey, Moffett was proactive in her search. But she has also been unable to find work. She used up the last of unemployment benefits during the recent partial government shutdown. “I’ve already had to downsize two times," she said. “But now I’m on disability because my foot started hurting. It was probably from standing so much. I went to Kaiser because they have a hardship program where if you were a member before you can get disability benefits for free. They extend it every six months." Moffett said her situation is particularly frustrating to handle in light of the skills she possesses. “I can do marketing, promotion and website design," she said. “I would have thought that with my skills I’d be able to find something. You start getting depressed and wondering what your next move will be. It can get to you."(California's long-term unemployed may take another hit if benefits expire, The San Gabriel Valley Tribune).
Mike McGuire, 58, of San Leandro - "There are no hot leads," says McGuire, who once taught economics at a community college but has been working on and off - mostly in clerical jobs - since his last full-time job, as a copy editor, ended in 2006. "All administrative jobs I see seem to be temporary or permanent part-time with a vague promise they will grow into full time. And they seem to have hours that would keep you from getting any other job," says McGuire. (Jobless face loss of federal benefit extension, San Francisco Chronicle).
Steve Loveday, 54, of Santa Rosa - “It helped me pay my bills," He lost his information technology job, which he’d held for a year and a half, last December. Before that, he worked for another information technology company for 18 years. He said he’s applied for 40 to 50 jobs over the past year without success. Loveday’s wife works as a housekeeper, bringing in about $250 a week, he said. The unemployment pay helped him make his house payments. However, Loveday isn’t worried about making those payments if the federal program expires. In August, he qualified for a program called Keep Your Home California that helps distressed home owners make their mortgage payments. “I was thankful to get (the unemployment compensation)," he said, “but I didn’t expect it to last forever."(Sonoma County's jobless brace for federal benefit cut, The Sonoma Press Democrat).
Jorge Gonzales, 32, of Sebastopol - “I thought, ‘Wow, well, I don’t see getting a job in the near future," said Gonzales, 32, who has struggled to find work since he lost his full-time job in Windsor about two years ago. “I’d love to get a job; I’d love to work tomorrow if I could," he said. Unemployment insurance has helped him buy food and pay the bills. “If I didn’t have it," he said, “my situation would be a lot worse than it is now." (Sonoma County's jobless brace for federal benefit cut, The Sonoma Press Democrat).
Colorado
Candace Stewart, 58, of Aurora - was fired from her job as a quality control inspector in April over the claim she pushed a co-worker (she disputes the claim). She’s sent out hundreds of résumés since, but has been unable to find work. “I get more and more nervous and more and more scared. And then you get depressed and you get angry. I’m not sleeping; I wake up 10 to 15 times a night shaking because you don’t know what to do. I’m scared. You go to the unemployment office but they can’t really help you if there’s no jobs." “Just give me a break so I can find a job. What good does it do? [Is Congress] trying to punish people because they can’t find jobs? That’s how I view it. And it makes me mad. The majority of people are looking and they shouldn’t be punished. It’s emergency unemployment for a reason - it’s an emergency. They are putting two people out of a house here, not just me. They don’t realize how many people are affected by this. “I emailed my congressman. I am looking everyday for a job. I don’t want the money so I can sit on my hands. I need the money so I can live, so I can eat, so I can keep my house. But I just get a form letter that says what he supports and what he’ll do. “Three days after Christmas and you’re cutting us off? They don’t understand. They act like we’re not trying. We are trying. I’ve been trying for six months. If they don’t do something, probably in the next three months, I’ll have to sell this house. But I still won’t have a job. I’ll have money to survive, but that’s it." (Fear And Hopelessness As Five Families Prepare To Lose Unemployment Benefits, Buzzfeed)
Connecticut
Jessica Kruh, 27, of Hartford - has been receiving $270 a week to support herself and her 5-year-old son since May, when she lost the $12.40-an-hour receptionist job she had held for two years. Kruh, who has a certificate in medical coding, didn't land her first interview until October. Since then, she has interviewed for five jobs. Two, she didn't get. She's still waiting to hear from the other three. She was a finalist, but not hired, for a receptionist job at a plumbing supply company, where the manager told her that they had 50 applications in the first day. "You want to be hopeful, but you also want to be realistic," she said. "There's a lot of really good candidates who are unemployed right now." Kruh said, "People who say that don't know what it's like." Her boyfriend, Patrick Sullivan, 26, said, "You can do everything within your power to find a job, and it still may not be there." A month before Kruh lost her job, she and Sullivan moved from an $850-a-month apartment in New Britain to an $1,100-a-month apartment in Rocky Hill, because she didn't want her son in New Britain public schools. Sullivan, a shift leader at CVS, picks up overtime whenever he can. But if Kruh's checks are cut off before she finds a job, the combination of their rent and utilities would take all but $100 of Sullivan's monthly after-tax pay, not enough to cover car insurance, gas and food. While she would qualify for more food stamps than the $187 a month she gets now, she would be forced to go on welfare, she said, something she's trying hard to avoid. Kruh said while she thinks her son's Christmas will still be merry with gifts and festive meals with their extended families, it's a struggle to feel thankful for her blessings with this hardship looming - and the emotional roller coaster of applying for jobs and waiting for responses. "I'm just feeling more of a sense of dread," she said. (Hardship Looms For 24,000 Unemployed In State, The Hartford Courant)
Kerstin Foster, 45, of Naugatuck - expects to start work as an office administrator for a civil engineering company on Feb. 1, though she says that date can be pushed back at any time. Her last contract ended in January, and she hasn’t found work since. She has lived off emergency unemployment benefits and the $120 per week she gets in child support for her 13-year-old son; she also supports her 23-year-old son, who lives with her and has also been unable to find work. “Even the four weeks without money would set me back. I don’t have any savings; I don’t have anyone I can borrow from. I’ve been on my own basically since I’m 18 and there isn’t anyone I can ask for money. “Things are going to change drastically because, I hate to say it, but I’m going to have to go down to social services for food. It’s going to humble me. My son is hungry and I can’t feed him. I might lose my car. I’m not going to have a phone for people to contact me when I am looking for a job. It’s going to be hard. This is just hard. To not even be able to give your son anything when he’s hungry. We’re all scared, every one of us. Not just me. “I keep a roof over our head. There’s food - maybe not steaks, but there’s food. [It’s] keeping our head just above the water, you know. We’re all about to drown. The 1.3 million of us are about to drown." (Fear And Hopelessness As Five Families Prepare To Lose Unemployment Benefits, Buzzfeed)
Florida
Jim Lanzerio, 49, of Florida - is home loan and mortgage specialist who suffers from diabetes, said his state unemployment insurance is barely enough to pay the bills and will run out by February. “I would be very concerned" if Congress is unable to reach a deal, Lanzerio said. Lanzerio has been looking for a job every day since early October but hasn’t had a lot of luck. In the meantime, he’s relied on state unemployment insurance to stay afloat. “It’s a safety net for me," said the single father, who has a 17-year-old daughter about to graduate this year. Lanzerio said he just hopes he can find a job before time runs out. “I’m not sitting back and waiting," he said. “I would go back to work immediately if someone offered me a job." (Jobless fear looming benefit cuts, The Daytona Beach News-Journal).
Georgia
Lisa Carson, of Georgia - Lost her job in healthcare last May. "It's going to be really, really rough," said Carson, who is not sure where she'll turn if her benefits expire and she cannot find a job. (Thousands of Georgians to lose unemployment checks, CBS Atlanta.com )
Diana Coney, of Georgia - Has been looking for work since getting laid off last march, is going to school to become a medical assistant. Coney is trying to find a job because she has only herself to rely on. "It's very scary not knowing what's coming next year. When you have no one else to depend on and you have no income, it's a scary feeling," Coney said. (Thousands of Georgians to lose unemployment checks, CBS Atlanta.com )
Illinois
Lynn Richards, 30, of Elgin - In April, she was laid off from her manufacturing purchasing job of 3½ years. Her unemployment insurance kicked in, then she became pregnant during her job search. Now Richards, who is married with a son and hasn’t yet found work, is among 80,000 Illinoisans expected to lose federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation on Saturday. “I’ve been working since I was 20. I’ve never had this much trouble getting a job in my life. I’ve applied to like 200 places. I’ve gotten less than 10 calls and a couple of interviews," she said. “Unfortunately now, no employer wants to hire someone [who is] pregnant." “It’s terrifying. We live paycheck to paycheck. I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place and have no idea what we’re going to do when they cut me off," Richards said. Richards initially concentrated her job search in her field, but that soon changed. “I expanded to anything in the office on the administrative side, then ended up taking a part-time job at CVS Pharmacy two nights a week to help pay the mortgage," she said. “I was trying to avoid retail, but where I work doesn’t even have full-time openings." (Dec. 28 expiration on long-term aid leaves unemployed anxious, Chicago Sun-Times)
Randy Russo, 50, of Chicago - was laid off in March from his printing/graphics job of 2½ years, is one of those individuals. “It’s just really rough out here, primarily because there are three applicants for every job. I’ve probably applied to hundreds of jobs, with very little response, and haven’t gotten even one interview," said Russo, who is single. Even with his unemployment benefits, he’s been dipping into his retirement savings from 35 years in the printing industry to meet rent and other expenses. He dreads Dec. 28. “I went to a pre-Christmas dinner with my sister and my nephew who will be out of town next week, and I had nothing to bring to the table. It’s just terrible," Russo said. “It’s been sort of a slow leak in my savings, and if the benefits go away completely, then the dike breaks. It’s going to be over. You know, I figure it’s just a numbers game that if three people apply for the job and only one can get it, eventually that person’s going to be you," he said. “But you have to survive until then." (Dec. 28 expiration on long-term aid leaves unemployed anxious, Chicago Sun-Times)
Maryland
Lillian Humphrey, 62, of Baltimore - has struggled to find work the past year. She thought she would be hired for seasonal work that involved handling photography equipment in April, but osteoporosis prevented her from obtaining medical clearance. After her son George was diagnosed with arachnoiditis, he could no longer work. Humphrey handled all his medical expenses for more than five years until his death at age 39. She ultimately filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2005, marring her credit history and, she believes, making companies second-guess her as a potential hire. Her savings now are down to $4,000 from $15,000. “If the unemployment doesn’t continue then I will have to put in for Social Security. Even that’s not enough to live on. I’d hate to lose my house, I’ve had it for 20 years - well, February 2014 will be 20 years - and I got another 10 to go [on my mortgage]." “They say age doesn’t have anything to do with it but I know darn well it does. And that’s where I am. Other than having osteoporosis, well my knees are aching a bit, that could be something that could be fixed but I don’t know. But I don’t have any income that’s going to pay for all that. If my mortgage was paid it would be one thing, it would be a little easier for me. But unfortunately it’s not. “I don’t know what it is. I’m a good worker; I’m a devoted worker. I was interested in learning medical billing and coding, but [people helping with my job search] said that was not a good career to go into at this point. Even if I go to school for it, places only hire people with experience. “Here, I’ve worked all my life. For 40 something years paying my taxes, putting into the unemployment and so forth, and they’re willing to just let me lose everything?" (Fear And Hopelessness As Five Families Prepare To Lose Unemployment Benefits, Buzzfeed)
Kathy Biscotti, 51, of Baltimore - is in a "panic," she says just hours before her federal unemployment benefits -- her "lifeline" -- will end. "I have no savings. I went through all my savings. [The benefits] pay the rent and groceries and utilities, maybe if I'm lucky. If there's enough left," the Baltimore mother says of her $332 a week in unemployment insurance. "Sometimes, we have to have Oodles of Noodles for dinner or skip meals. We've done a lot of skipping meals since this all started. We went from three meals a day to two meals to sometimes just one meal a day." Biscotti, 51, is one of the estimated 1.3 million long-term unemployed workers who will lose their federal emergency unemployment benefits Saturday. The benefits, which many Republicans oppose unless the costs are offset in other parts of the budget, were left out of the bipartisan federal budget agreement reached this month. She's "flabbergasted, appalled, disgusted" that Congress went home before extending the benefits. "They go home to their wonderful, expensive, lavish Holiday celebrations and [they are] having a good old time and they're not worried a bit about us," Biscotti, out of work for six months, said at her small apartment in Baltimore. "They don't care about us, they don't care about us at all. "If they cared they would've done something about this before they went away on their break. It's a Christmas break. How can you cut somebody off at Christmastime?" Biscotti has been out of work since June when she was laid off from a real estate company. She spends at least five hours a day on a laptop in her bedroom applying for jobs and believes she has applied for between 200 and 300 jobs, with 20 interviews, including one company that called her back four times. "I'm just totally overwhelmed with -- depression kicks in," Biscotti said, surrounded by photos of her two sons and granddaughter. "Fear is the hugest factor. I don't want to have to end up living under a bridge. I don't want to have to go to a women's shelter. I've worked my whole life. I've worked since I was 14 years old, always taken care of myself and now I feel like I may not be able to take care of myself anymore." Biscotti spent most of her life working as a waitress, but she said she wanted out of the restaurant industry in 2004 and took an office assistant position at Morgan Stanley. She was laid off in 2008 and it took her two years to find her position at the real estate company. She worries now that the combination of her age and being out of work for more than six months means she will never get a job. (Long-term benefits a “lifeline" that’s ending Saturday, ABCNews.com )
Michigan
Cheryl Fontyn of Clinton Township - The ordeal of living through unemployment for the past 20 months has been “humiliating," as she has learned that aging workers short of retirement eligibility face a brutal job market. Fontyn, who lost her 7-year job as a billing clerk in a medical facility last year, said that she and other jobless workers her age are “devastated" when they learn that they lack the high-tech skills to compete against younger, more savvy job candidates. Some of those on the outside track even lack the basic computer knowledge to engage in the 21st Century version of a job search. “You send resume after resume, you send mail, you call … and I’m juggling two part-time jobs at the same time" that pay $8 an hour and offer no benefits. Fontyn, who previously worked 25 years as a dental assistant, said she recently learned that she does not qualify for subsidized Obamacare health insurance coverage, so she is applying for Medicaid as the Dec. 28 end of her unemployment checks approaches. “What am I going to do after the 28th? Pray a lot," she said, trying to hold back tears. (Local jobless workers' stories will be sent nationwide, Macomb Daily News)
DiAnn Fairfield of Fraser - who lost her longtime job as a tooling designer, said she has spent-down most of her savings after eight months of unemployment. She is now preparing to liquidate her retirement savings. “I don’t make enough on unemployment to make a living. It’s not like I’m sitting back and waiting," Fairfield said. “I … want Washington to know, we’re not numbers. We’re real people. I shouldn’t have to spend the rest of my life hoping for a semi-decent retirement." (Local jobless workers' stories will be sent nationwide, Macomb Daily News)
Guy Kaercher of Warren -- who was hired in the tool and die industry after serving four years in the U.S. Navy during the 1991 Desert Storm incursion, is now living in a Roseville shelter after seeing his job eliminated. “I’m a homeless vet. I lost everything. I lost my house. I hit rock bottom and I have nothing left," he said. (Local jobless workers' stories will be sent nationwide, Macomb Daily News)
Norbert Franczak of Warren -- was next up in the studio lights and told Kaercher: “That’s a damn shame. This man puts his life on the line and this is how he is treated?" A former library assistant at Cooley Law School, Franczak said he will be losing his $166 weekly unemployment check as he tries to maintain the $654 monthly mortgage payment on the home he inherited from his mother. “Retirement and pensions are not even in my vocabulary," the jobless worker in his mid-50s said, explaining the reluctance he faces on job interviews due to his age. “I just want to stay alive. I just want to keep a roof over my head." (Local jobless workers' stories will be sent nationwide, Macomb Daily News)
Leonard White of St. Clair Shores - worked 19 years as a white-collar professional in logistics, including the last 13 years at a major university, until he lost his job in the summer due to downsizing. Since then, he has received a number of job interviews but no offers. White put several of his children through college and his youngest is a freshman at Michigan State University. But with the impending end of his unemployment compensation, he has mapped out an 8-month household cost-cutting plan that includes eating just one meal per day. (Local jobless workers' stories will be sent nationwide, Macomb Daily News)
Montana
Jean Winsor - sits in the dark in her home, wearing extra layers to keep warm. That's because Winsor is terrified of running up her electric and gas bills just as she stops receiving her unemployment check. If her twice-monthly $500 check doesn't come in, Winsor says she will have to resort to selling her living room furniture to make her mortgage payment of $461 on her home in Shinglehouse, Pa. "I've not been unemployed like this," said Winsor, 49, who applies for dozens of home health care jobs daily. "I'm just so overwhelmed." So, for Christmas this year, her seven grandsons will get homemade quilts she sewed from pieces of cloth a friend gave her. Winsor hopes to be one of those. She lost her job as a home health care aide in February, after working for 12 years taking care of a woman who moved into a nursing home. In the meantime, the windshield on her car cracked recently." My windshield looks like a great big smiley face," she said. "I just used my food stamps to go buy sugar so I could bake cookies to get through this." (My jobless benefits will end next week, CNN.com )
Nevada
Sofia Banks, 36, of Las Vegas - has been looking for work since November 2012 when she was laid off from her job as assistant manager at a discount store. On her weekly unemployment check of $327, she supports herself, three children and her mother. Banks and her children, a 12-year-old and 7-year-old twins, collect cans, cardboard and other recycling on the weekend for small amounts of cash. She apportions meals knowing she can’t afford to feed the youngsters three times a day. It’s tough, she said. And she fears it might get tougher. Banks attends vocational school to become certified as a medical assistant. She said a sudden cutoff in benefits likely means she will have to quit school, and consider selling her car to make her $950 rent in January. “It’s a snowball effect," she said. “I’m in school full time now to get myself back in the workforce, but my options are pretty much where I will have to let go of school and join back into whatever I fall into, which still won’t put me into being able to support myself and my kids." “My car maybe isn’t even worth a thousand dollars," she said. (With benefits on the block, jobless Nevadans face uncertainty, Las Vegas Review-Journal)
New York
Lynette Kuykendall, 50, of Westchester - Has been jobless since June 2012, got her last weekly unemployment check of $327 on Nov. 3. Her previous job was business-to-business sales of credit reports. In the past year, Kuykendall said, she has split her time mostly between Yorktown and New Rochelle, staying with relatives and friends. Many of her possessions are crammed into her 1999 Ford Explorer. She said she slept in her SUV many nights over the summer, parking it at Glen Island Park in New Rochelle. Kuykendall called the Explorer, which she bought with 159,000 miles on the odometer, “my saving grace." Since then, it’s logged another 77,000 miles. “I call her Grace," she said. “Everyone knows she’s Grace." In October, she tried to stay at a homeless shelter in Prince George’s County, Md., after enrolling in a cybersecurity undergraduate program at the University of Maryland. She took out a college loan and used an unemployment check to register her car in Maryland, hoping to establish residency. Some nights she slept in the SUV, others she got a motel room or stayed with a friend. After three weeks of failing to get into a shelter, she drove back to New York just before Thanksgiving. Kuykendall hopes that if long-term unemployment benefits are renewed, she can get back on the extended benefits program because she’s trying to finish her bachelor’s degree. “I could at least find a room to rent," she said. “I can get myself back to a normal balance. I don’t need anything more than the basic necessities." (Jobless benefits expire Dec. 28 for 100,000 in N.Y., Gannet News Service)
Bruce and Celeste Leibowitz of Brooklyn, N.Y. - In 2009, Bruce Leibowitz was laid off from his job at the National Envelope Corporation in Long Island City, N.Y. Since then he’s struggled to find long-term employment. He’s held several odd jobs since, but none have lasted. He’s been on unemployment three of the last five years, supported in part by his wife, Celeste, who works as a freelance fundraiser. “We’re managing but we have to be very frugal," Celeste said. “We do go out with friends but there’s a lot of things we don’t spend money on. I don’t buy books; I get everything from the library. We go to maybe one movie a year. Basically we are in a holding pattern where we are making it, but we really can’t do without that unemployment money." “For all of the problems we’re going through, we’re sort of holding on. This is going to be the thing that throws us over the edge, but we’re surviving for now," Bruce said. “I was getting good money [at my old job], about $67,000 a year. Thank god we had enough caution up to a certain point. People earning $30,000, $35,000 - they’ve already been pushed over the edge. It’s just a shame." “If I can do anything just to bring in some cash, I’ll do it. I’m turning 62 at the end of January. My wife and I are really trying to avoid going into Social Security at 62 because benefits are at the lowest point there. We’re trying to hold off until 64 or 65, but I don’t know if I’ll make it that far." (Fear And Hopelessness As Five Families Prepare To Lose Unemployment Benefits, Buzzfeed)
Ohio
Curtis Houston, 42, of Lucas County - was laid off from his job at PTI Quality Containment Solutions about eight months ago and has exhausted his Ohio jobless benefits. The first 26 weeks in Ohio, known as state benefits, are funded by taxing employers. However, Ohioans were eligible for a maximum of 63 weeks of benefits, 37 of which were paid for by federal funding. Mr. Houston, who received his last Ohio weekly benefit check of $123 around Thanksgiving, will have to rely solely on part-time wages he earns at a janitorial company, Toledo Building Services, to help support his family. “We clean up the Huntington Center after big events and hockey games," he said. “In the past two weeks I might have worked 15 hours." Mr. Houston lives with his girlfriend and their two children in Toledo. His girlfriend works but he said the family is struggling and that he recently turned to local churches for food assistance. “Me, myself, I like to work and I don’t think unemployment is something to really live off. It’s just something to help you until you can do better, but yes, I believe it’s still necessary for people in my shape," he said. Mr. Houston initially thought he would be called back to work at PTI, a subcontractor for General Motors. He made $8.50 an hour inspecting parts that came in from numerous suppliers before those parts were shipped next door to the Powertrain transmission plant on Alexis Road. Those hopes were dashed, however, in August when the company shut down for good. In the meantime, he has been attending workshops at The Source, trying to improve his resume, and looking for a full-time job. “There is still a large number of unemployed people. If they got programs that’s gonna help people get back into the work force and be able to take care of their family, then that’s different. I think they are starting to have programs to help people get back in the workforce but like Obama said, we also have to create our own businesses and start giving services to the public," Mr. Houston said. (43,000 in Mich., 40,000 Ohioans to lose unemployment benefits, Toledo Blade).
Pennsylvania
Don Hackman of Lititz - has been laid off since February. The public safety specialist has been scraping together what little he has to put food on the table for his 12-year-old son. With his unemployment check, he has just enough to pay his rent, electric bill and grab a few things from the Dollar Store. He goes on interviews and hears the same line each time: "You wouldn't be happy here. You're over-qualified." Hackman said he has been unemployed long enough to know that "over-qualified" is another way for employers to say they are not prepared to offer him a salary they think he expects, or are fearful he will move onto something else soon after he is hired. He's found some part-time positions through temp agencies, but nothing has lasted more than a few weeks at a time. Hackman isn't sure what he's going to do when his federal benefits run out, and faults politicians for turning their backs on millions of people in need. (Who are the long-term unemployed in Lancaster County ?, Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal)
Jeff Buckwalter of East Lampeter - was laid off from his welding job more than eight months ago.Each day he shows up at the county's PA Careerlink Job Search Center hoping to find an opening in his field but is starting to realize his age is a problem. The 54-year-old said competing with young workers for the same position has led to a lot of rejections. With no experience in any other line of work, the GED graduate is having a hard time figuring out where to go from here. "There are times when it's really hard not to give up," he said as his eyes filled with tears. "You do the resumes, you do the calling and no one calls back. Everyone says you're not supposed to take it personally, but it's hard when who you are is defined by what you do." Buckwalter said he would be willing to try something new, but he needs a job now. Going back to school is not an option he can afford. (Who are the long-term unemployed in Lancaster County ?, Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal)
Terry Ecenerode, 54, of Lititz - ad a good position as a logistics and distribution manager at Hewlett-Packard. She liked what she did and was proud of her 28 years of service. But that was before the economy tanked and found herself without a paycheck in 2009. She was unemployed for 13 months. She eventually signed a two-year contract with Johnson & Johnson to work as a shipping clerk. The contract expired in March and she now finds herself in search of something new. There was a slight glimmer of hope when she applied for and got a minimum wage part-time position at a local department store. But after sitting through a few hours of orientation, she was told to go home when they heard she was looking for full-time work. (Who are the long-term unemployed in Lancaster County ?, Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal)
Marilyn Johnson of East Lampeter Township - The psychologist, who spent her career in the social services community helping the elderly and the young, has been out of work for two years. Johnson said her confidence has been broken. "There are a lot of people like me who have been out of work for so long that they have given up hope," "It's hard to get up every day and face the embarrassment of not being able to support yourself." To make her resume more appealing to potential employers, Johnson doesn't list the last time she worked. But the thing she believes hurts her chances the most is something she can't hide. "I'm concerned that since I've never worked in any other field. I'm getting pigeonholed into a certain type of position. I just want a job - I can learn something new," she said. (Who are the long-term unemployed in Lancaster County ?, Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal)
Lester L. Martin, 59, of Neffsville - is finding that time is not on his side. His age is the biggest obstacle that stands between him and his ability to earn a paycheck. A commercial carpenter by trade, the 59-year-old has been laid off since May, and knows his graying hair and wrinkled hands are not what employers expect to see when he shows up for an interview. "I don't put my age on my resume or how long I've worked at certain jobs, but there's nothing I can do when we sit down face-to-face. They know I'm no teenager," he said with a chuckle. Martin said he continues to stay focused on finding a job regardless of the setbacks. "What I've found out is that searching for work is like a full-time job," he said. "People think that since we're out of work that means we're not trying hard enough to find work. But we are." (Who are the long-term unemployed in Lancaster County ?, Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal)
Christine Kennedy, 42, of Manor Township - As a business education teacher, Kennedy closely studied the economic collapse. She knew times were tough for a lot of people, she just didn't know that she would soon be on the other side of things. The Manor Township mother lost her teaching position at Lancaster Catholic High School in June. Although she is thankful that her husband still has his job, she has been frantically trying to find a new position. But it hasn't been easy - even with a master's degree-level education. The 42-year-old said unemployment has driven home an important lesson: You are what you do. "A huge part of our personal identity is what we do for a living and the pride that we take in what we do," she said. "I think there are very few people who would rather take a handout than work. We want to feel good about ourselves." She said it hurts even worse when the job you trained for and did every day begins to disappear from the workforce. "It's a nullification of who you are. It's like saying what you did didn't have value," she said. (Who are the long-term unemployed in Lancaster County ?, Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal)
Marion Jennings of New Holland - has been looking since June for a job that will help her get back on her feet. Jennings shows up every morning at the job center with renewed hope that something will pop up. An administrator who has managed entire offices throughout her career, she said she can't wait to get back to work. "I come here because I'm in the loop here. I see the latest postings as soon as they go up. To come here and be with people who are going through the same thing is a big help," she said. Jennings has been unemployed since June, when her contract with a local agriculture business expired after several years with the company. "I've been doing everything I can to get my name out there and I don't know what else to do at this point," she said. "You hear about how the economy is getting better, but there are millions of people just like me that can't find a job." (Who are the long-term unemployed in Lancaster County ?, Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal)
Rhode Island
Deborah Barrett, 57, of Newport - “My job search is my full time job. I’m sick and tired of people insinuating that folks in my situation are not looking for jobs," said Deborah Barrett, a 57-year-old accounting professional from Rhode Island who has been out of work since February. Barrett … takes care of her elderly mother and doesn’t know how she’ll continue to support her family after her federal benefits expire this weekend. “I will do whatever I have to do-it’s petrifying," she said. (Bye Bye, unemployment benefits, MSNBC.com )
South Carolina
Steven Seward of Florence - was one of the hundreds of people JP Morgan Chase let go this year, after the company decided to close its Florence location. "My family is all to pieces financially. We have exhausted our savings," said Seward. Seward says he only got two months' severance pay from JP Morgan Chase, and he was forced to turn to unemployment while searching for another jobs. "Sending application, after application, after application…I've been on a few interviews," said Seward. (Emergency Unemployment Compensation could end this year, WMBF News).
West Virginia
Lisa Floyd, 50, of Chesapeake - was unemployed until just this month. She said the past seven months were a drain on her finances and her life. Floyd said federal emergency unemployment benefits saved her home and helped her stay afloat after state benefits ran out. "How many people do you know could go, if you live independently and alone, and I'm a homeowner, could go much longer, with no income at all," said Lisa Floyd. Floyd said after 12 interviews in six months, she has a new job in the healthcare industry, with a living wage. (Woman to Testify in Washington for Extension of Unemployment Benefits, WSAZ News) #
