The past few years have been extremely difficult for governments across the country at the federal, state, and city levels to cope with. Resources were strained, employee burnout led to attrition, and traditional strategies for solving problems became ineffective. While the COVID-19 pandemic is likely the biggest factor, other recent events have created a controversial environment.
For example, the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020 (and the protests that followed) had far-reaching effects. For example, many people have lost trust in local police, especially in urban, underserved, or minority-dominated areas. This poses further problems for local governments trying to respond to contentious situations.That’s exactly what happened in Hoboken, New Jersey.
“After George Floyd [was killed]People started to distrust the police,” said Ken Ferrante, Hoboken’s public safety director. Ferrante said city government needs people to step in and address contentious situations related to substance abuse and homelessness, not necessarily crimes or emergencies, but concerns. He started looking for ways to support citizens who are suffering.
“People didn’t want to call the police, so we decided the best solution was to move forward with hiring a social worker,” said Nora Martinez DeBenedetto, director of voter services for the city of Hoboken.
Social workers can “contribute to building trust”
Hoboken has hired two social workers to assist city residents in a variety of ways. Homelessness, food insecurity, housing insecurity and mental health counseling all fall under their purview, Martinez-DeBenedetto said. It is hoped that the social workers, who will have only been on the job for a few weeks in early 2023, will help build trust between city residents and government officials, including police officers.
“It’s not a police officer’s job to do a social worker’s job,” Ferrante said. “That’s why we want to bring in professionally qualified social workers to build trust.”
Hoboken’s approach is not unique to the United States; instead, government agencies and local governments across the country are hiring more social workers to help with the myriad problems facing their communities. In fact, in some areas, the government cannot find enough social workers to fill open positions. From Missouri to Utah to Maine, social worker shortages have delayed or canceled some government projects.
There are also federal efforts to hire more social workers. Last year, for example, the Biden administration announced an effort to increase the number of social workers in schools through the U.S. Department of Education. Suffice it to say, there are more opportunities for government-level social workers and future social workers than perhaps at any time in recent history.
Even before some of these announcements and initiatives came to fruition, there were already bright prospects for these professions. The number of social workers nationwide is expected to increase by 9% between 2021 and 2031, with a total of 64,000 social workers expected to be added between 2021 and 2031. There are already more than 708,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
However, relatively meager pay has proven to be a difficult hurdle to overcome for many aspiring social workers. The median annual salary for social workers was just over $50,000, or about $24 an hour, as of May 2021, according to BLS data. Meanwhile, the median annual wage for all occupations in the United States was $22 an hour. And given how difficult social work is, it may not be a very attractive field for those looking for a high-paying career path.
Red tape and hurdles
Given that social workers’ lives can be tough, with long hours and harsh and dangerous working conditions, it will likely continue to be a challenge for government agencies to quickly recruit adequate numbers of social workers. Highly sexual. Additionally, many state and local governments likely face conflicts over budgetary requirements to hire them.
In Hoboken, for example, Martinez-DeBenedetto said the City Council initially approved only one new social worker position, but later added a second position. The city will now assess and reevaluate its social worker needs, which could mean expanding or contracting the budget. However, smaller cities that also need social workers may not have as much budget flexibility.
“There is definitely a demand for social workers, but the pay structure is still not great,” said Nancy Smith, professor and interim associate dean for faculty development at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work. “There is not enough policy-level funding to meet the needs.”
While social work may not be as financially rewarding as other career paths, it can be fulfilling in other ways, especially for those who want to get their hands dirty and help their communities. “We can support communities, organize and identify community strengths, respond to challenges, and help people address human rights issues in their communities,” Smith says.
And for those interested in government work, social work can be a pathway into other fields, including politics. “We have social workers who work in politics,” Smith said, adding, “Every politician has someone who deals with their constituents. That’s a natural fit for social work.” Several former social workers currently serve in Congress, including Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Kyrsten Sinema, and Reps. Barbara Lee and Sylvia Garcia. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was also a social worker.
For social workers with more immediate goals, the need exists, and government agencies across the country are clearly active in expanding opportunities.
“[Social workers] I’m not going to solve America’s homelessness problem, but I think the government’s job should be to help the most vulnerable in our communities. If we have that opportunity, we should do it,” says Martinez DeBenedetto. What about the training and results to date for social workers who serve residents of the City of Hoboken?
“I couldn’t be happier,” she says.
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