Job fairs, hobbies and community conversations: How federal workers are coping with shutdown angst

By Linda Gaudino, Brian Todd, CNN

(CNN) — Almost every day, Angela O’Neal sits down in her at-home creator’s studio, either painting, sketching or contemplating her next original piece to add to an abundant collection.

In recent weeks, her daily ritual has taken on a new meaning as she faces the same challenges as many furloughed federal employees — struggling to pay mounting health care bills, a mortgage and the costs of living without a steady paycheck.

As the government shutdown persists past a month, over a million furloughed federal workers will continue to go without pay, including this Prince George’s County, Maryland, resident.

“It’s been somewhat devastating for a lot of us,” O’Neal told CNN during an interview in her home. “I don’t think I realized the extent of it until after I saw that I’m not able to go to (physical therapy) appointments because of that… and so it’s been tremendously stressful for a lot of us, and in particular for caregivers and people with chronic health conditions.”

O’Neal works for the US Navy as a program manager and is celebrating 40 years of government employment. She received a letter from her employer stating she had been furloughed on October 1.

She has diabetic neuropathy, which affects mobility and causes numbness, tingling and burning sensations in her feet. One of her main concerns is not being able to afford her medical appointments, some of which she already canceled due to copay costs up to $90. “If I don’t have income, then I can’t make those appointments,” she said.

During these uncertain times, O’Neal leans on her artistic hobby — not only as a coping mechanism, but also as a second form of income. She sells her paintings, prints and posters on her personal website, at rotating exhibits and even at a local cafe.

“Reality changes when there is a picture of it,” O’Neal said. “As a contemporary artist, I am fascinated by how art can alter the way we see and feel. … So, during this government shutdown and furloughing, I find great solace in painting.”

Hedging their bets: Furloughed workers head to job fairs

O’Neal manages the unpredictability through artistry, but others may take a more direct, career-driven approach by canvassing job fairs — some out of precaution, others near desperation.

CNN attended two job fairs in the Washington, DC, area recently. Many furloughed government employees at these events did not want to give their names or speak on camera for fear of losing their jobs. But they gave sobering accounts of the hardships they’re facing.

“I’m supporting my kids. I have to tell them we have to budget,” one employee, who was furloughed from the Internal Revenue Service, said at a fair in McLean, Virginia.

Another employee who didn’t want to name his agency said he’s supporting a young family. “I came all the way from Maryland … an hour-and-a-half, looking for a job,” he said. After struggling to describe the hardship of going weeks without getting paid, he finally told CNN, “I don’t know how much I have left in the tank right now, just to talk to you.”

But a furloughed employee at a job fair in Maryland spoke openly about her struggles to cope with the shutdown.

Elizabeth Baker of Montgomery County received a stop-work order from her employer at the start of the shutdown. She is a policy analyst contracted to the National Institutes of Health through her employer.

“I wouldn’t be here at a job fair if I weren’t trying to hedge my bets, as much as my employer has been very good to me,” Baker told CNN, adding that “we’re down to survival.”

Baker told CNN that to financially cope with the shutdown, she is cashing in her holiday pay, using unemployment insurance and consulting on what to do if she can’t pay her rent.

The event hosted by the workforce development group WorkSource Montgomery served federal workers and contractors throughout the area at a time federal workers are particularly in need of support, said the group’s executive director, Anthony Featherstone.

“It’s tough being out of work as a federal worker. You’ve gone to school. You have lots of education and experience and are highly compensated, and now you’re in limbo,” Featherstone said.

A focus on mental health

K Scarry, the owner of the Kbird bar in northwest DC and a former minister, has hosted weekly “opt-in community conversations” for furloughed workers, offering them a chance to share their hardships and to network for other jobs.

Scarry set up an additional session last week, inviting CNN along with furloughed workers. But no workers showed. Scarry said she received texts from some of them saying they didn’t want to speak to the media out of fear of retaliation. She told CNN what the conversations have been like in those weekly sessions.

“There’s questions about, you know, ‘How do we talk to our kids? Our kids know the government is shut down. They know we work for the government. How do we have that conversation with our kids without overpromising, but also making sure they feel steady?’” she said. Scarry is offering free meals to any furloughed worker who comes to her bar.

Baker stressed the importance of furloughed workers maintaining their mental health during this period of uncertainty. Her advice to others in her same predicament: “Look, the situation is real. It’s rough. Adapt how you can. … Keep the hope. Keep striving. You’re smart. You’ll get through this.”

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