NORWICH – Is Chenango County an oasis for welfare recipients?

The perception is out there. It’s been the undercurrent of opinion for a long time that the Land of the Bullthistle is some how the Emerald City of social services payouts. Even some county supervisors have been under the assumption, and said so recently.

The rumor is wrong if you ask Department of Social Services Commissioner Bette Osborne and her staff. While the public assistance population is known to move from county to county, Chenango isn’t within proximity of major metro areas where rent subsidies are more attractive and where services, such as transportation, are more readily available, she said.

“People in need of support don’t normally choose rural communities like ours,” she said.

Another misperception is that welfare collectors move out of the county once their assistance dries up, only to re-enter to start back at the highest level. It doesn’t work like that, the commissioner said. The welfare system begins with the delivery of public assistance (food stamps, Medicaid, and emergency loans) for a period of five years, followed by cash assistance (whether for individuals or families) for two more years. If support is still needed after that, DSS will continue to pay client’s bills directly to vendors, such as landlords, for an indefinite period of time. Welfare recipients who leave the county and return later must start wherever they left off.