Battling the Unemployment Beast

For unemployed citizens throughout New York State, the date is nearing when the benefits available to them will be gone.

This May, 56,000 New York residents will lose their unemployment benefits. 2,300 of them are in Central New York.

Citizens can receive a maximum of 33 weeks of unemployment benefits, the New York State Department of Labor reported.

Without these benefits, people are forced to find help from alternative sources including supplemental security income, food stamps and food banks.

Beth Slater, Director of Member Programs for the Food Bank of Central New York, says she has noticed a 12 percent increase in the number of people in Onondaga County requiring the Food Bank’s assistance.

The Food Bank of Central New York acts as the primary food supplier for soup kitchens and food pantries throughout Central New York.

Job loses and pay cuts are serious issues employed people have to deal with, but having enough food to eat is extremely serious, Slater said.

“Food is one of those things that is non-negotiable,” Slater said.

People should try to update their job skills in order to increase their chances of acquiring a job, Jean Genovese, Spokesperson of the New York State Department of Labor, said.

New York has reported that out of the nearly 80,000 people unemployed statewide, about 51,000 are collecting unemployment benefits. But these numbers are sometimes difficult to acquire, Genovese said.

“Some people fall off the radar screen when they stop looking for work or collecting benefits,” Genovese said.