Unemployment LifeLine -- Ask an Expert, or Be One

The numbers are staggering, and by now we know them all too well. Unemployment reaching a 25-year high at 8.5 percent. And that's before it went up to 8.9 percent. 15.8 percent looking for work, working part-time because they can't find full-time work, or have stopped looking even though they still want a job. Record new unemployment claims.

And the personal stories are like a punch to the gut.

If it’s you who’s lost a job, there are so many questions: Where do you go for unemployment benefits, and what do you do if your former employer contests your claim? How are you going to keep your health insurance? What do you tell your family? How do you stretch every last day out of your money to give you time to find a new job? And how do you take your anger or your depression or your fear at your own situation and turn it into a force for change?

Here’s one answer for you: The Unemployment LifeLine.

Working America, the Working America Education Fund, and the AFL-CIO have joined together to create this one-stop resource center for unemployed workers. We’ve tracked down information about where to go for help in every part of the country. Our zip code searchable database lists more than 60,000 resources and is still growing.

But those are just the basics. This week, we added whole new kind of resource—live people.

Every day, the Unemployment LifeLine's "Ask an Expert" will feature a community services staffer visiting the LifeLine's discussion forums to answer your questions and give advice for your situation. We know that's important because everyone's situation is unique; there are no one-size-fits-all solutions.

Today's expert is Tom Ryan:

I’m the Community Services Director at SF Labor Council (SFLC)\ Community Services Liaison with United Way of the Bay Area.

I’m also the Executive Director of SFLC\STEP an agency within the labor council that provides job training, wraparound social services (I&R, case management, job development, job placement and retention) and emergency hardship services to low income and immigrant workers and their families.

Each day there will be a new thread in the Unemployment LifeLine discussion forum. You ask your questions, and the community services staffer on call for the day will answer them. It's that simple.

So next time you need help or just have a question about what to do next to stay on your feet as you look for work, ask one of our experts.

But the Unemployment Lifeline isn’t done growing, and that’s where we need your help.

We know there’s more information out there, and we know you can help us find it. You’re all experts on your own towns and areas, and if you know of another resource we should list, please submit it here. We’ll review submissions and add them to the site where appropriate.

Let’s help families find the information and support they need to ride out the worst recession in decades.

Views expressed on this page are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Campaign for America's Future or Institute for America's Future