Oregon Public Broadcasting

Problems in the economy make work a less enjoyable place to be. But the fiscal crunch also means big changes in workers’ home life.

Today, our occasional series on the recession, continues, as we meet a young woman in a supposedly recession-proof industry, who still finds herself in hard times.

The twenty seconds Bonnie Warren takes to walk from her car to her front door are perhaps the calmest twenty seconds in her day.

The minute Warren gets home from work,  she’s the center of all the attention her four-year old daughter Fae has to offer. And that’s a lot of attention.

“Hi, Fae-Fae. How’s my girl?”  

“I been good today!”

“You been good today? Can I have a kiss? What’d you do to your knee?”

“Um. The cat scratched me.”

Fae, looks like a tiny cloned version of Bonnie -- blond, with wide, innocent blue eyes, and milk maid-creamy skin. But where Fae’s a ball of energy, Bonnie can’t wait to slow down and relax.

Bonnie’s a certified nurse’s assistant at Menlo Park Health Care, a rehab and skilled nursing facility. She works Wednesday through Sunday, from 6 a.m. 'til 2:30 in the afternoon, sometimes longer, depending on workload.

Bonnie Warren “I just keep going. I have all these extra activities, and thankfully, I have somebody who understands a lot.”

That somebody is Bonnie’s fiancé Joey Levy. It’s not every guy who adjust his work schedule, to be home with the kids. But he’s been doing it for several years now.

Show up at the house on days when Bonnie’s not home, and you’ll find Joe with seven-month-old Jaden in tow -- the smiliest infant you’ll ever see.

Joey Levy  “We really didn’t want to do day care, or have a babysitter, because we knew it’d cost us way too much.”

Joey’s worked for years managing a convenience store, but in recent months, his boss, the owner decided it would be cheaper to do it herself. Now his hours have been cut drastically.

Sure, he has more time at home with the kids, but it’s been a strain on their finances.

Most weeks, Bonnie’s on the job Wednesday through Sunday. For two people living together and raising kids, she and Joey aren’t seeing much of each other these days.

Bonnie Warren  “Luckily we have an hour or two after kinds go to sleep, but we barely ever get date nights. He’s my rock (laughs) He’ll come up with, well, let’s go do this. And I’m like, OK.”

Bonnie always knew she’d end up doing work that involved caring for people. She started school for nursing, but the wait list was so long she ended up training as a medical assistant.

She loves the work, but says she was shocked to find how few jobs were available after she certified, at pay rates that are making it very tough for her to pay back student loans.

Nurse’s assistants make about $200-$2500 a month, before taxes.

Bonnie Warren:  “There’s a lot of people transitioning in. They’re going from their old jobs into medical fields.   If it weren’t for grants, I’d be about $20,000 into debt. But thank you for grants, I’m about half that.”

The southeast Portland apartment they’re renting from Joey’s parents is spare, but spotless. It’s not much protection from the bill collectors who’ve been on Bonnie’s case about her student loans.

Bonnie Warren: “Right after my son was born, they wanted me to start paying it. I was like, I’m trying, I’m on maternity leave. They’ve called me at work. I yell at them when they call me at work.”

Bonnie and Joey aren’t the type to make a show about the problems they’re going through. But Joey says he can see Bonnie growing more and more stressed.

Joey Levy  “She’ll come home, she’ll see Jaden, and then she’ll be all quiet. And I can just tell. I just try to comfort her, “Tell me what’s going on. Let’s talk about it.’ ”

Bonnie Warren “I try to hide it from my kids, but I don’t know how I’m going to pay my bills that are past due, or any of that type of stuff."

Joey Levy “There’s a bill collector -- unidentified caller. Very nice.”