Coping with Hard Times: Trustees see increased need

Discussion

May 25, 2009

Anonymous The Herald Bulletin Mon May 25, 2009, 02:33 AM EDT

By Peter Boberg

For The Herald Bulletin

ANDERSON — Inside the Anderson Township trustee’s office in downtown Anderson on a recent day, a senior citizen named Beverly sought help.

Beverly, who asked that her last name not be used in this article, lives on her Social Security payment of about $600 a month and admits that sometimes she can’t afford to pay her electric bill.

“I haven’t been to the trustee’s office for a few months,” she said. “This month, though, I had an electric bill of $200 that I couldn’t pay.”

The township approved Beverly’s request, paid $80 of her bill, and referred her to other agencies such as the Salvation Army for additional help.

Beverly, of course, has plenty of company. Many people in Madison County are facing similar situations.

In the past year, the Anderson Township trustee’s office has seen a dramatic increase in need, and it’s not just the unemployed and very poor who are requesting help.

“Recently, we’ve awarded aid to people across the board — substitute teachers, recent college graduates and laborers,” said Anderson Township case worker Donna Davis. “A lot of people have lost their jobs, and unemployment doesn’t (provide) for the way they were used to living.”

Cathy Crabtree, a case worker in the same office, said she recently helped a man who had been making $75,000 a year until he lost his job.

“People come in and start crying,” she said. “They feel bad that they have to ask for help, but we tell them that it’s not anything to be ashamed of.”

In 2008, Anderson Township gave assistance to 253 residents who had never requested aid in the past.

“That means that about every day we’re open, we see at least one person in need of assistance who have never had problems paying their bills or buying food,” said Trustee Barbara Johnson.

Crabtree added that “because we are funded by the state, we are able to maintain the same level of assistance that we always have. The difference now is that churches and other nonprofits aren’t offering as much assistance as they were just a few years ago.”

Demand for aid has risen in most townships. The Fall Creek Township awarded $1,500 in assistance in February 2007, but this February they awarded over $5,000.

“It could be that this year was a colder winter, and it was harder for people to keep their houses warm,” said Fall Creek Township Trustee Fred Gaskill. “But it’s probably a combination of things, like the escalating costs for food and utilities, along with the loss of jobs.”

As in Anderson Township, Gaskill has seen a lot of people coming in for the first time.

The state-funded township trustees provide short-term help with housing, food, medical, dental, rent, utilities, clothing, non-food items and other basic necessities.

In order to receive aid from a township trustee’s office, an applicant must schedule an appointment and complete a detailed application provided by the state — though not everyone is eligible to receive aid. For example, people who already receive food stamps are ineligible to receive food assistance from the trustee’s office.

But a person who can’t get help from the trustee’s office or a social-service organization isn’t necessarily out of luck.

“We’ve all pitched in out of our own pockets,” said Crabtree. “If someone is in need but doesn’t qualify for aid for one reason or another, we’ve helped them pay for prescriptions, rent or whatever they may need. I’ve never seen so many people in need in this community before.”

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