§ 44:4-87 — Obtaining employment for poor persons and families

When an application for relief is made to the county welfare board in behalf of any person who claims or alleges to be poor and in distress, and the person or a member of his family appears to be in good health and capable of earning a livelihood sufficient for the total or partial support of the poor person, the director of welfare shall make every possible effort to secure employment for the person and any or all other members of the same family, and shall to that end use the services of such helpers as may be appointed in his jurisdiction, to aid in accomplishing that purpose and in maintaining supervision over the poor person and in having contact with his employers for the purpose not only of obtaining employment but of continuing it if possible, and the factors if any interfering in the obtaining or continuation of such or any employment shall be ascertained and remedied if possible. To this end all public employment agencies or rehabilitation bureaus, or other agencies, public, private or charitable, may be made use of by the director of welfare under the direction of the county welfare board. Persons for whom proper employment is found who shall willfully neglect to work or labor and become, or continue, chargeable to any county by reason of such failure or neglect, and persons chargeable by law with the support of a poor person who shall neglect to perform reasonable work or labor, shall be proceeded against by the director of welfare.