Frederica Freyberg:
Our first guest works the front lines in that part of the state, helping dislocated auto workers and their families. Sue Conley is the executive director of the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin. Thanks for joining us.

Sue Conley:
You're welcome. Thanks for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:
You know, it's hard to grasp even here, one county away from Rock County, just what that county is going through. How many out of work as a result of the GM closure and spin-off job loss?

Sue Conley:
The last number I heard was over 8,000 workers. It's probably higher than that by now. People are continuing to lose their jobs. When the plant shut down, it didn't just affect those that worked at the plant or even other plants that supply General Motors, but it affects things like day care centers who no longer have as many children to watch. They have to lay-off workers. It continues.

Frederica Freyberg:
Mark Vanek says even the streets seem less busy and the parking lots and shopping malls seem less busy, so it certainly has had this spin off.

Sue Conley:
It really has. It's going to get worse still before it starts to turn around for us.

Frederica Freyberg:
You think the man that we profiled is representative, month after month without success?

Sue Conley:
I do. Absolutely. And he's one with a degree. So those who don't have that degree who have worked in a factory in their life have even fewer options.

Frederica Freyberg:
Are they cobbling work together? Give me a profile kind of of a person that worked at a factory all their life and doesn't have the degree.

Sue Conley:
Folks that I know personally might be doing part-time work wherever they can find it. Some of the people I know are working for golf courses. Part-time jobs, but it's something.

Frederica Freyberg:
And the organization that you're involved with is called Collaborative Organizations Responding to Dislocation. Why was that put together?

Sue Conley:
We starting meeting in December when it was announced that the General Motors plant would close that soon because we knew there was going to be great need in our community. We wanted to be able to get folks on the table who could help identify what the needs would be and perhaps start to craft some solutions.

Frederica Freyberg:
What do you think the biggest needs are right now?

Sue Conley:
Right now, I think there’s so many. The financial situation for so many people, the foreclosure rates are so high in Rock County. Many of those are General Motors employees. The stress, the mental health issues are starting to build for folks as well. It's just something that you wake up with every day and have to face another day without a job.

Frederica Freyberg:
And what are you doing to help them through that?

Sue Conley:
The core group is really just trying to bring together the resources in our community to respond to this. We're pulling anybody together that might be able to help identify the needs and create solutions around those needs. The job center in Rock County has done a lot to work directly with folks that are unemployed. They have opened an annex at the UAW hall, which was a great idea. They have something called “Java and Jobs,” and they bring people together to talk. It’s almost like each other giving support. While there may not be true solutions, they're at least trying to reach out and help people.

Frederica Freyberg:
Are you looking to the state or federal government for resources to help provide some of these services there in the community that you feel are needed specifically, the things like foreclosure mediation or financial assistance?

Sue Conley:
We are. We have developed two proposals actually that we're trying to find funding for through many sources. There's also been some federal dollars coming into our community that will create some jobs. For example, community action has gotten a weatherization grant that will help weatherize low-income family homes and provide jobs to people that would do that work. We're working on many different fronts.

Frederica Freyberg:
What have you found about whether or not the kind of federal and state government is responsive to the needs that you see living there and living amongst the people who have been affected?

Sue Conley:
There's some wonderful stimulus dollars coming from the federal government. But they're very restrictive. When you look at the applications, the solutions we need don't fit the grant applications in all cases. We would love it if there were more flexibility in the grants.

Frederica Freyberg:
And you believe you need people to do, for example, foreclosure mediation, you need money to pay those people to do that.

Sue Conley:
Correct. We could use probably nine people working full-time to help folks in foreclosure situations.

Frederica Freyberg:
What is a foreclosure situation in Rock County?

Sue Conley:
It's growing every day. I don't have specific numbers. I can tell you that the workers that are in place now are backed up two months. They can't see people and help them for at least two months out. We know the need is great.

Frederica Freyberg:
And retraining. We understand there's a lot of money to help auto workers, specifically, retrain. But if they do that, will the jobs be there when they get out of the training, do you suppose, and then what about kind of the wage-earning landscape? Will it ever be the same?

Sue Conley:
You know, $28 an hour is high. I don't think anyone is going to come out at wages like that now — our world is completely different. There's good news along those fronts, too. For example, UW-Rock County now has been working with Blackhawk Technical College and UW-Oshkosh to create a four-year program that can be completed in Rock County. There's good things coming out of that. The grant announced this week along healthcare industry jobs, retraining for auto workers. We're prepared, ready for things like that.        

Frederica Freyberg:
Meanwhile, unemployment benefits may soon be running out?

Sue Conley:
They will be. Some of the workers were laid off in July last year. So their benefits will start to run out this summer. Again, at the end of this year, others will lose their benefits.

Frederica Freyberg:
What will that mean?

Sue Conley:
That will mean even less money. That’ll mean it becomes even harder to put food on the table. You'll have to make tough choices about paying rent, buying groceries, medical bills. Just gets harder.    

Frederica Freyberg:
Are you seeing service agencies, food pantries, even homeless shelters being overburdened in Rock County?

Sue Conley:
Domestic violence is on the rise. I know our domestic violence programs are exploding with clients. Food pantries are doing the best they can to meet the need. Folks who continue to be giving are giving to those types of organizations. I know the food pantry in Janesville has the resources they need to feed those coming to the doors. That's good news.

Frederica Freyberg:
What would be your best advice to someone that is unemployed and still looking?

Sue Conley:
I think they just have to keep looking. You have to be persistent. Can't give up. It will turn around. It just won’t be tomorrow.

Frederica Freyberg:
Sue Conley, thanks very much.

Sue Conley:
Thank you.