Laid-off workers find support at makeshift site

Mathis Winkler

Thursday, Oct. 4, 2001 | 9:52 a.m.

Many came to file for unemployment, others wanted food stamps. A lot of people said they needed help in paying their rent, and a few were looking for retraining programs.

But most of the 1,000-plus men and women who showed up at the Culinary Workers Union Hall Wednesday morning had one thing in common: They lost their jobs as a result of a slumping economy after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and need help catching up with their bills.

To give laid-off workers better access to services, state and local government agencies, charities and utility companies have set up temporary offices at the union hall.

Dubbed "Project Helping Hand," the one-stop support center is scheduled to remain open for at least three weeks.

The hall opened at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, and soon after, hundreds of people began registering for appointments with agency officials. They waited in a large, air-conditioned tent in the hall's parking lot before entering the building in small groups.

The initial wait quickly topped two hours, but many said they didn't mind.

"It's frustrating, but you can't let that upset you," said Shane Burlingame, who lost his job delivering office supplies to casinos on Aug. 31.

Though Burlingame would later learn that services were available only to people who lost their jobs after Sept. 11, his wife, Kathy, did qualify.

A former supervisor in the call center for Bally's and Paris, Kathy Burlingame lost her job on Sept. 12.

"We're hoping to get assistance with our mortgage and utilities," she said, adding that the family had already cut down on energy consumption. "Just to keep everything on. Groceries would be helpful."

Inside the building, as Helping Hand workers squeezed through crowded hallways to tend to those waiting for things such as help with medical care for children, people with mortgage problems quickly became discouraged.

Because of limited funds, the United Way could offer only rental assistance to people who had already filed for unemployment and had received eviction notices.

Homeowners, for now, would have to wait, as foreclosures take an average of three months, one of the charity's representatives told new arrivals.

But Keith Miller, who bused tables at the Mirage before losing his job Sept. 21, said he'd appreciate any help he could get.

"I need to collect whatever income I can get," he said, adding that his wife, Gloria, who worked for a dentist, also had lost her job. The couple has three children.

"I'm a month behind in all my bills," Miller said. "It's never been like this before. I'm not accustomed to this."