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These past few months it seems as though there is an increase in the number of people seeking help from direct assistance programs, said Salvation Army's Ken Locke Wednesday.
Medication, utilities and rent are the three items that are most sought after, according to Locke. A lot of people are behind on rent and utilities and that's going to get worse this winter when heating and utility bills go up. Medical bills are high because many people don't have medical insurance.
Locke said the Salvation Army is helping about 20 to 25 more families a month than usual, especially in the last six months. Emergency assistance has increased 10 percent. There is a growing request for money. Locke said it's unusual to have so many requests this time of year.
Locke believes a big part of the problem is that a lot of people just don't manage their money well. They don't know how.
Peggy Shively, of Division of Family and Children Services, said food stamp issuance has increased and DFCS has about 450 households receiving food stamps and temporary assistance.
"A lot of our households are working," Shively said. "They just can't seem to make ends meet."
Locke agrees. He said it's hard to get jobs that pay more than $7 or $8 an hour and a family of four really has to struggle to survive on that.
Director of Warsaw Housing Authority, Laura Kaufman, also said the number of people seeking housing assistance has increased. She believes the main problem is that there is a shortage of affordable apartments in Warsaw. The Glen Terrace condemnation was partly the cause of the housing shortage.
Housing Authority can't administer immediate assistance, however, she said. People who qualify for rental assistance first have to find an apartment and then there is a two- to three-month wait. Anyone with an emergency need is sent to organizations like the Salvation Army.
"The perception is that's not a problem in Warsaw," Kaufman said of homelessness. "That's not true."
Medication Assistance is a fairly new division of Home Care and Hospice. Program coordinator Jill Christine said the program sees approximately 10 new clients a day. Compared to six months ago, that is a 50 percent increase.
Christine said she believes one reason for the increase of medical assistance is that medication is getting more expensive and many people don't have health care.
Founder and director of Our Father's House, Roz Morgan, said, "Absolutely," when asked if she's experienced an increase in people seeking direct assistance.
Combined Community Services Director of Client Assistance Dan Clay said, "I know we have assisted more people and taken more requests."
Morgan said Our Father's House had 67 new sign-ups in August, 69 in September and 44 so far in October. She said that's 180 new families in two-and-one- half months. Our Father's House serves more than 1,700 families.
Morgan believes the reason there is such an increase is because people are frightened. She said no one wants to admit that Warsaw has these problems.
"There is no transitional housing," she said.
She also said fuel companies' increase in heating bills will really affect Our Father's House, too. With people having to pay more for utilities and gas, they will be coming in more often for things like food and clothing, she said.
Clay said CCS averages 46 new clients a month. He saw a food request increase of 50.3 percent in June. He said 65 percent of CCS' funding goes into utilities and that will get worse in the winter. CCS has applied for several grants to help with funding for the winter.
Clay also agreed with Kaufman on the issue of affordable housing.
"Housing is a big issue in this town," Clay said.
Clay believes the widening gap between low- and middle-income families and the fact that pay increases aren't keeping up with inflation are reasons for the increase in the numbers of people seeking direct assistance.
Locke said this needs to be addressed countywide. It's going to take more than one entity to deal with this problem, and everyone is going to have to work together, he said.
"It's going to take local communities solving their own problems," he said.
