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  • The Christian Science Monitor

    In good times, safety net for the jobless frays

    Mar 27, 2018 5 minutes
    Kimberly Wesley, a 30-something single mom with four kids, lost her cook's job two months ago and applied for unemployment benefits. Instead of a benefit, she was told the file had been closed. There's a complicated backstory, but her experience symbolizes how not every jobless person can claim benefits, even for a short period.

    Jennifer Barkley looks down and apologizes for her sneakers, which are missing their laces. A well-worn polyester dress whips about her legs.

    It’s been a long day, and Ms. Barkley is headed home, jobless and frustrated. A call center operator in Jacksonville, Barkley has been let go three times in the past year after big corporations like Bank of America changed contractors. Since these redundancies were no fault of her own, she’s eligible for unemployment benefits, which means she’s a regular at CareerSource Florida, a state agency which has a branch here in a strip-mall office next to a Halloween-themed amusement park.

    Life on the dole in Florida isn’t easy street: Barkley’s benefits come to $270 a week and max out at three months. The cost of living may be low

    Extra time can mean a better next jobLimits can change with the economyUnemployed but not getting helpThe argument for cutbacks

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