By Mitch Hotts, Macomb Daily Staff Writer

After Thomas Thieda lost his job as a lab technician, he dropped his cable TV and Internet service, started paying bills with his credit card and has been living off unemployment benefits.

With the expiration of those benefits creeping up, the Clinton Township resident told officials at a special hearing of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners education and training committee Thursday he doesn't know what his future holds.

"I'm just barely living," Thieda said. "I've gone to countless interviews but nobody's calling (back)."

Thieda was one of five Macomb County residents invited to the hearing to talk about how they struggle to make ends meet for their families as their benefits are about to expire.

After the lengthy hearing — in which officials predicted the number of Michigan residents who will have no other resources once their benefits run out soon — the county board endorsed a resolution calling on Congress and President Barack Obama to sign legislation

extending the financial assistance.

Michigan's unemployment rate is at 15.2 percent — 18.4 percent in Macomb — according to the U.S. Department of Labor. That's the highest level of any state in the country. Officials at Thursday's hearing said the Macomb number likely will rise to 22 percent in the next couple of years.

In Macomb, there are more than 66,000 residents without employment, with more expected to join the rolls in the months to come. More than 10,000 local residents likely will exhaust their unemployment benefits by the end of the year.

"With no future job growth within sight, we believe this is the beginning, not the end, of our economic hardship," said David Flynn, D-Sterling Heights, chairman of the education and training committee.

The committee heard from numerous county, state and federal elected officials who all vowed to work cohesively to lengthen the amount of time unemployed residents can receive financial assistance.

John Bierbusse, executive director of Michigan Works, said a total of 79 weeks worth of unemployment benefits are the typical maximum, but in this state, more will be needed if people are going to be able keep their homes and put food on the table for their families.

"The biggest problem is we don't have the opportunity for people to get re-employed," he said.

That's the situation facing people such as Jason Oziem of St. Clair Shores, who was employed as a machinist until he was laid off in February 2008. Since then, he's cashed out his 401(k) investments and has used up most of his savings.

"I pay whatever bill is in red so nothing gets shut off," he said of his utilities bill, adding he and his family "eat a lot of $5 pizza" to survive.

Dennis Keena of Chesterfield Township, a laid-off machine maker, is in the same boat. He's used up his savings and sold any gold or silver he had accumulated in the past.

"As soon as my unemployment runs out, I'm done," he said at the hearing.