With San Francisco's current 9.7 percent unemployment rate, more lower-income individuals receiving pay for their community services are struggling to become part of the work force.

General assistants, who are insolvent adults getting cash in exchange for workfare community services at places like Glide Memorial United Methodist church, Project Open Hand and the St. Anthony Foundation, have decreased since the execution of Care not Cash.

Implemented by Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2004, Care not Cash uses the funds given to welfare programs to provide homeless people with housing and services instead of lump sums of cash.

There were 2,334 who received monetary aid in 2004, but by 2009, the number decreased to 396, according to the Care not Cash monthly update in February.

Usually, people are temporary GA workers. For the last three months, Eddy Ventura, 49, has been working as a GA for three hours, twice a week and gets paid $422 a month. "I don't like to depend on this job, I want to earn more money," he said of his GA job serving meals at Glide.

Over the years, Ventura has held different jobs. "I'm a nursing aid, my license expired in 1990," but he took other jobs because he was underpaid, Ventura said.

"You can work as a GA as long as you do fill the requirements," Ventura said.

The meals program at Glide relies on the GAs' help.

"We would be in trouble if we didn't have GAs," said Bruce McKinney, manager at the meals program. "There are meal periods where they are all we have."

After losing his job as a desk clerk in a hotel last September, Taray Trillo, 50, has been working as a GA serving meals at Glide for the last month. He gets paid $340 a month and works six hours a week as a GA. He lives in the Tenderloin and likes his GA job because he meets different people. During his free time, he peruses the Internet, looking for a job.

Working as a GA varies according to people's situation. While some might stay in the program shortly, others have a harder time getting out of it.

"Some work for a month, some six months and some stay longer," said David Barnett, who as a kitchen expediter at Glide, works with eight to 10 GAs per shift.

Some people moved in, hoping the situation would be better in San Francisco than in other cities or states.

A year ago Chet Ambrous, 39, who worked as a waiter in restaurants and hotels for 18 years, moved from Miami to San Francisco.

"I thought it might be easier to find a job here," he said.

But reality proved him wrong, as he was unable to find a job after applying to different restaurants and hotels.

"They're not hiring and there is a huge competition," he said, reiterating that these jobs are highly popular.

For the last seven months, Ambrous has been working as a GA, serving food at Glide twice a week and receiving $65 a month plus shelter. Ambrous said he'd continue to be a GA until he finds a job.

Teri Ann Gershon, 62, has lived in San Francisco for 23 years. As a former GA serving food at Glide, she got off the program two months ago when her Social Security payments started. She used to get $200 in food stamps and $50 in cash for three months. Over the years, Gershon has held all sorts of jobs, working as an assistant manager in a coffee shop, a cashier in a clothing store, selling olive oil and in several restaurants. She became homeless nine months ago and three months later, her companion left her. Since July, she has been living at Community Awareness and Treatment Services, Inc., a women's shelter, and will soon move to permanent housing.

The hard times affect young people, too. William Standard, 25, works three hours, three times a week and gets $67 a month and food stamps.

"I like the job here but I won't pick it as a life-long career," he said about his GA work at Glide's coffee house.

In the past, Standard worked in a boys' boarding house doing chores like cooking, cleaning, helping with homework and taking the boys to doctors and counseling appointments. At San Francisco City College, he studied for two semesters to be a medical assistant and has one more year to finish. He is looking for a job helping in the kitchen or as a busboy. "If I can get a job I'll try to finish school," he said.

Qualifying as a GA is a long process and people have to fill few application forms to be eligible, according to the County Adult Assistance Programs, which offers services that benefit people who are not eligible for other state or federal cash aid programs like Personal Assisted Employment Services, Supplemental Security Income Pending, Cash Assistance Linked to Medi-Cal and General Assistance.

The process might take 2-4 weeks depending on how fast all the paperwork is ready and some applicants are turned down if they don't fulfill the requirements, according to CAAP.

If people are employable, they must do a job search. If they've been homeless, they get shelter and in some cases, permanent housing. Part of the requirements is to show proof of unemployment, residence, bank accounts, fingerprints and photos and in some cases a doctor's statement about an inability to work.

Applicants for GA positions must fill out some forms and bring personal identification, their Social Security number, proof of income, of assets and of expenses to the interview.