Social service programs struggling
Derrick Knutson
Review Staff
With the economic recession has come an increased demand for social services, but the demand has risen so drastically in recent years that organizations providing the services are having a tough time keeping up.
Ramsey County Human Services, located in downtown St. Paul, is one of the organizations struggling to keep up with the demand. They provide an array of social services to people who are struggling financially, mentally and physically. Dave Haley, the assistant to the director of community human services for Ramsey County, said that his department has seen a sharp increase in the need for services over the past few years.
Food stamp usage is 31.2 percent higher in 2009 than it was in 2004, according to information from the county. Residents visiting resource centers seeking jobs increased 42 percent from 2006 to 2008. The impact has been felt by homeless shelters in the county as well. During the week of Dec. 3, the county was unable to find emergency shelter for 44 families - which included 184 children and 67 adults - due to eviction, foreclosure and other issues.
Haley said that the increased demand is difficult, if not impossible, to keep up with.
"We are now more in the role of helping individuals survive in the immediate time frame, with less ability to address longer-term development," he said. "That means we are in more of a reactive mode in addressing these issues in our county."
The pressures of the recession aren't limited to low-income residents in Ramsey County.
"We have experienced a steady increase in folks with higher incomes coming in to apply since the economy started to slide last year," Haley said. "This includes folks who have lost jobs, and folks who have lost substantial amounts in the market and their investment value has sharply dropped off."
To illustrate how the increased demand for various social services is affecting his department's staff, Haley explained that 300 Ramsey County financial assistance employees - who process applications for health insurance, food support and cash assistance - were able to process applications in 8 to 10 days last year, and now response time for determining eligibility for those same services is 40 days. He added that average caseloads per day for the financial assistance staff are now 450 for single adult applicants and 275 for family applicants.
"Staff have higher levels of stress than at any time in my 17 years of working in the county," Haley said.
Washington County seeing increased demand
Ramsey County isn't alone in seeing an increased need for social services. Social service programs in Washington County have seen a significant increase in the demand for services as well.
Nina Arneson, the Workforce Center supervisor for Washington County, said that the amount of people coming into the centers in Woodbury, Cottage Grove, Forest Lake and Stillwater has increased steadily in recent years.
"Folks are still finding employment, but it's taking longer," Arneson said. "It used to take about three months, now it's taking eight months or longer to secure it. It has a huge impact on individual and family finances."
The centers offer career assessment, training and placement services leading to employment opportunities at all levels, according to its Web site.
Like Haley, Arneson said she has seen a "cross-sectional" group of people seeking the Workforce Centers' services. People from low, middle, and high-income brackets have all used the center's services to search for employment. More demand for the center's services correlates to more work for its staff.
"Our caseloads are increasing; they've almost doubled [since the beginning of the recession]," Arneson said. "The staff is providing help for a lot more people..."
Like Ramsey County, demand for financial services is up, according to Mary Farmer-Kubler, the economic assistance supervisor for Washington County.
"We are fielding a lot more phone calls," she said.
Farmer-Kubler added that applications for health care programs are on the rise, along with applications for family investment programs, general assistance for adults and supplemental nutritional assistance programs.
Prominent nonprofit struggling
Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, which has a financial counseling building on the East Side of St. Paul, is the state's largest nonprofit social service organization, and is also feeling the impact of the recession.
"There has been a substantial increase in demand for services," LSS president Mark Peterson said.
One of the more popular programs LSS offers is consumer credit counseling to help people manage their debt. Peterson explained that LSS served 23,000 families last year with the credit counseling services, and they are now turning away about 1,000 people a month.
"We just can't keep up with the demand," he said.
Another service that LSS offers is foreclosure prevention counseling. That service has also seen a steady rise in the past five years, according to Peterson. In 2005, 3,000 people used the service statewide, and that number increased to 18,000 in 2008. Peterson said he expects the number of applicants for that service to rise again in 2009.
Affordable housing has also become an issue for individuals and families during the recession. Peterson said LSS built a 48-unit affordable housing development in south Minneapolis last year, and there were 1,000 applications for residency before the building was even finished.
Difficulty paying the bills, avoiding foreclosure and putting food on the table can also lead to added stress for families that is difficult to deal with.
"As more and more families are experiencing financial stress, marriage tensions, parent/child relationships can become compromised," Peterson said. "The single greatest call we received is premised on financial stress. I think a few years ago that wouldn't have been the case."
With the increased stress on families comes a higher demand for mental health services. Peterson said LSS has seen a sharp increase in the calls for mental health services related to job loss and financial trouble.
Peterson said that people from every walk of life are affected by the recession.
"We serve 100,000 people a year in Minnesota, and we serve a very broad spectrum of economic circumstance," he said. "Higher income families get into financial trouble as well."
He added that he expects the need for social services won't decrease anytime soon, but LSS will continue to provide help to people as best they can. Haley echoed his sentiment. He said that the mission of his department is to "help citizens survive and thrive."
Derrick Knutson can be reached at dknutson@lillienews.com or at 651-748-7825.
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