44:1-94. Obtaining employment for poor persons and families

When an application for relief is made to the overseer or deputy of a municipality or superintendent acting when there is no overseer, in behalf of a person who claims to be poor and in distress, and when the person or a member of his family appears to be in good health and capable of earning a livelihood sufficient for the total or partial support of the poor person, the overseer or superintendent shall make every possible effort to secure employment for the person and any or all other members of the same family and shall use to that end the services of such helpers as may be appointed in his jurisdiction to aid in accomplishing that purpose and in maintaining supervision over the poor person and in having contact with his employers for the purpose not only of obtaining employment but of continuing it if possible, and the factors if any interfering in the obtaining or continuation of such or any employment shall be ascertained and remedied if possible.

To this end all public employment agencies or rehabilitation bureaus, or any other agencies, public, private or charitable, may be made use of, and the expense thereof, not properly an expense of any such agency shall in the discretion of the overseer or superintendent be chargeable in whole or in part to the municipality, county or joint district.

Persons for whom proper employment is found who shall willfully neglect to work or labor and become, or continue, chargeable to a municipality, county or part thereof or district, by reason of such neglect, and persons chargeable by law for the support of a poor person who shall neglect to perform reasonable work or labor, shall be proceeded against by the overseer or superintendent.