At the Just-a Start job training program on Columbia Street, head teacher Sara P. Fass rushes from room to room, busily ministering to the needs of her students, fielding phone calls and thwarting crises.

Meanwhile, at the Davis Square Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) office, a crew of several clerks greets clients warmly and directs them to one of three waiting areas inside the office, where they will meet with one of the office's 57 caseworkers.

Since Dec. 1, when about 200 Cambridge families lost welfare benefits, welfare recipients have been flocking to the DTA and programs like Just-a-Start as they try to adjust to the change.

The federal reform bill of 1996 limits recipients of Transitional Assistance for Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) to 24 months on aid out of every 60-month period. In Massachusetts, these limits went into effect in December 1996 and last December, the first round of recipients lost their benefits.

As the winter continues and as welfare recipients continue to see their benefits expire, politicians, welfare advocates and the recipients themselves are trying to figure out how to help those who can't make it without welfare.

Looking Ahead

Cambridge Mayor Francis H. Duehay '55 says the consequences of the new cutoffs became clear to him recently when a homeless man came up to him with a disturbing report.

"He had never before seen so many people on the street in Cambridge," the mayor says.

And Duehay says there are signs of the cutoffs. Shelters in Cambridge and Boston often reach capacity in the winter, but in 1998 they reached capacity for the first time ever during the summer.

Duehay says the city has already taken steps to help those who were cut off before they could find jobs, including efforts at housing, job placement and formation of support groups for those living in poverty.

Duehay says he wants to do much more in the areas of affordable childcare and housing, but simply does not have the funds. He says he believes the federal government has passed the buck on taking care of poor people.

"They are cleverly handing down federal responsibilities to local government and forgetting that it costs money," he says.

Duehay says he remains hopeful for the future, but that it will take some time to solve the problem of poverty in Cambridge.

"People have got to buy food and clothing and have an affordable place to live," he says. "These things are not in place."

Placing the Blame