Washington Social Service Caseloads On The Rise
Spokane, WA March 25, 2009 10:17 a.m.
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downloadState governments in the Northwest are in a tough place. Funding pressures are forcing states to cut back on social programs at the very time when more people need help. Caseloads are way up across the region, but the problem is especially acute in Spokane. As part of our long-term focus on poverty, Inland Northwest Correspondent Doug Nadvornick puts a face on the numbers.
Jo Smith's story is a common one these days. Last year, the single mother from Spokane Valley had a good job.
Jo Smith: "I was managing workmans compensations claims for a third-party administrator."
And then one day last November, it ended. Her supervisor walked into Smithís office with a box and a pink slip.
Jo Smith: "The layoff was quite a shock. It was a small company and, of course, theyíve been hit pretty hard by the economics of the country. I was the last hired there, so the first to go."
Smith not only had to deal with her sudden drop in income, she also had to soothe her bruised ego. She agreed to talk to me under the condition that we not use her real name.
Jo Smith: "It's somewhat of an embarrassment to have to say I need help. Iím collecting unemployment. I need help from the state to pay medical bills. Iíve always provided for those things for myself and for my daughter on my own and never had to reach out for help."
But now Smith is competing with 330,000 other Washingtonians who are collecting unemployment. The state's jobless rate is the highest itís been in 24 years. Not only are more people collecting weekly benefits, but a growing number are applying for cash assistance and food stamps as well.
The Spokane Valley Community Services Office is a buzzing place these days. About a dozen social service workers huddle at counters with their clients. And what a range of clients: young mothers with their children and an occasional boyfriend or husband, immigrant families, even a couple of middle-aged professional men.
Pete Casimir: "One of the things we have noticed since about September and October is thereís a lot of first-timers, people that have never applied for assistance before."
That's Pete Casimir, who manages this office. He says the number of people applying for food stamps increased dramatically last fall. Across Washington, the number of applications was up by nearly half in 2008. Part of that was due to a change in the law that made more people eligible for food stamps. Part of it was the bad economy. Casimir says the spike in demand has put a lot of stress on his staff.
Pete Casimir: "We're under a hiring freeze right now. So weíve had to get very creative. Weíve tried to use the phone more as far as doing some of our intake and tried to limit the number of times people have to come in to the office."
Social service advocates say some of those changes have actually been helpful. Linda Stone from the Childrenís Alliance says the increased workload has forced the Washington Department of Social and Health Services to become more efficient.
Linda Stone: "They've gone paperless, so everything is scanned in and they donít lose as much stuff as they may have in the past."
She says the state has also been forced to process clientsí applications faster.
Linda Stone: "Those things, I think, will have an impact on families being able to get a response more quickly and hopefully get more benefits."
That's welcome news, not only to those in Spokane, but also to the low-income people in rural northeastern Washington. Unemployment rates there hover around 14-percent, the highest in the state.
Back in Spokane Valley, Jo Smith is scraping by. She works two nights a week at a local restaurant, but she earns so little that she still qualifies for unemployment. She has signed up her 18-year-old daughter for health care through the state. She doesnít know where her next full-time job is going to come. Long-term, sheís studying to become a certified fraud examiner. And sheís trying not to worry about her future.
Jo Smith: "I'm just keeping my fingers crossed and saying my prayers that something comes through between now and then."
So are several hundred thousand others in the Northwest.
© 2009 Spokane Public Radio
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