NEWARK – Lack of affordable and adequate housing. Single mothers and elderly women with limited income. Lack of job readiness training for women.
These are some of the local issues women in Worcester County say they want county officials and state legislators to address.
On Tuesday, the Worcester County Commission for Women partnered with the Maryland Commission for Women to host a public forum that gave females across the county the opportunity to voice their needs and concerns.
Yun Jung Yang, co-chair for the Voices of Maryland Women Listening Tour, said the goal of the event is to compile issues and concerns from women and provide recommendations for improving programs, legislation and policies.
“It is their time and we’re just here to listen,” she said. “That’s the key point. We are not here to talk to them. We are here to listen to them.”
Yang said the Maryland Commission for Women has conducted a series of listening tours, from the western panhandle to the Eastern Shore, since July of 2016.
“We’re gathering the information and data and hopefully when we are finished, which will probably be in November, we will prepare a report addressing and summarizing the top five issues that Maryland women have told us,” she said. “Then we will make recommendations that women told us they want to see and present that to the Maryland governor and the Maryland legislature.”
Eloise Henry-Gordy, chair of the Worcester County Commission for Women, told the audience she was excited for the opportunity to collaborate with the Maryland Commission for Women.
“I think this is a first for our commission and we are excited about that,” she said. “We are continuing to promote and find ways to encourage the women of Worcester County to be viable and help them find resources so that they can live full lives.”
For their part, women in attendance at Tuesday’s event were eager to tackle issues pertinent to Worcester County.
Henry-Gordy noted the lack of affordable and adequate housing in Worcester County, particularly in Pocomoke and Snow Hill.
Circuit Court Clerk Susan Braniecki agreed.
“Finding affordable housing for a single woman is not the easiest thing to do,” she said.
Worcester County Clerk of Court Susan Braniecki makes a point during Tuesday’s forum.
Kelly Brinkley, a volunteer services manager for Worcester County, said single mothers living in the county often have to clip coupons and work a second job to earn a living, but are not eligible for assistance.
“They have good jobs, but they just don’t make enough money …,” she said. “It’s not enough to raise money on your own.”
Charlotte Cathell, register of wills, said Worcester County also lacks year-round job opportunities for women.
“The biggest job opportunities for our county are either seasonal or it’s through the hospital, and at the hospital pretty much you have to have an education for whatever position,” she said.
Brinkley agreed, adding that women would be better equipped for jobs in the area if they had better access to training services.
“You don’t have those office jobs that women quite often want …,” she said. “Women need job training.”
Delegate Mary Beth Carozza said many women in Worcester County are not aware of tools and non-profit programs that can help them start their own businesses.
“We’ve talked about jobs, but what we haven’t talked about … is women-owned businesses,” she said. “To me, if you give women the tools that they need, there’s going to be more successful women-owned businesses.”
While not every issue raised was deemed a priority at Tuesday’s event, Yang said each concern will be added to the report that will be handed to the governor and Maryland legislature.
“Your voices do count,” she told the audience.
