Welfare reform and an ailing economy foreshadow tough times for immigrants in places like Palolo public housing, where 18-month-old Nikki Vong plays with tape from a discarded audio casette.
Photo by Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin

The 68-year-old immigrant is trying to rejoin the work force at a time when most people his age in America are retired, or contemplating retirement.

"I only know little English," said Wang through an interpreter. "I understand my age and my limited English skill, so what kind of job, it doesn't matter. I'll look for any kind of work."

But the road ahead could be tough on Wang, a Shangai engineer who moved to Hawaii two years ago to be close to his son.

While Hawaii has quietly absorbed thousands of immigrants each year, offering one of the nation's most generous aid packages, tough fiscal times and welfare reform foreshadow changes.

The state currently offers $712 a month to a family of three under the federal Aid to Families with Dependent Children, and $418 a month to a single <P>person on the Aid to the Aged, Blind and Disabled programs. It also provides $268 of state general assistance money to the disabled, while a permanently disabled person receives $418.

But with the stroke of a pen, President Clinton last month authorized a sweeping welfare reform bill that will change much of that, giving states block grants to fund welfare programs. Certain provisions of the law affect immigrants only.

Non-citizens who are not U.S. military veterans or who have not worked and paid taxes for at least 10 years will be prohibited from receiving Supplemental Security Income or food stamp benefits.

As a result, 1,257 permanently disabled and elderly non-citizens in Hawaii will lose SSI benefits in January 1997, Department of Human Services officials said.

The bill, which ends federal aid guarantees to the needy, also prohibits future legal immigrants who are not citizens from receiving most federal benefits during their first five years in America.

In preparation for reform overhaul, Hawaii last month won approval from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department for Project PONO, its own welfare <P>reform proposal. Under Project PONO - Pursuit of New Opportunities - maximum benefits for an average family of three would drop to $569 in the first two years if at least one person in the family is able to work.

Wang started working as a kitchen helper about eight months after arriving in Hawaii, but was laid off recently. Like thousands of other immigrants, he turned to private, nonprofit service providers such as The Immigrant Center on North King Street for help.

"The welcome mat is much larger in Hawaii," Director Pat Brandt said. "But only because the resources are strained now we're beginning to pit immigrants against nonimmigrants."

But the center, operating in office space rented from St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church, has seen its operating budget drop from $1.3 million last year to $900,000 currently. The agency operates with state and federal funds and private donations.

Among recent adjustments, appointments to see counselors must now be made, instead of walk-in visits. And "there are people that we turn away," Brandt said.

The center's reduced staff of 18 employees is getting more help from volunteers. And instead of walking them through procedures, they are referring clients to other agencies.

Income tax help can no longer be provided. And previously free office skills classes now cost $25.

Most immigrants, like Wang, somehow eke out a livelihood in Hawaii despite the high cost of living, providers said.

"We have people who work 10 hours a day and come five nights a week for eight weeks to take computer classes to improve themselves," Brandt said. "We have doctors and teachers working as dishwashers and cooks."

A recent Washington, D.C., based think-tank report shows Hawaii is a popular destination among immigrants. The Center for Immigration Studies rated U.S. counties on how much of an impact immigrants have, based on immigration rates and related factors.

According to the Department of Human Services, immigrants constitute 3 percent of those on AFDC, 8 percent receiving general assistance and 39 percent getting the Aid to the Aged, Blind and Disabled.

It is largely the older immigrants who have voiced concerns about welfare, officials at the Immigrant Center said. "People on welfare are the elderly who cannot find a job," program coordinator Cecilia Yeong said. "There is a lot of misconception in the public that (immigrants) are here for welfare. They're not. They just need some direction, some acculturation."