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Community
Funding down, demand up for social services
More help sought as agency budgets cut
Friday, Oct. 9, 2009
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The demand for social services is increasing in St. Mary's, while state funding is decreasing, the county commissioners were told Tuesday.
Reported domestic violence is up, calls for help with substance abuse are up, reported rapes are up and many other categories of human distress are on the rise.
Cuts from the state have so far resulted in $1.4 million in reductions to private agencies working under the umbrella of the county's human services department, which itself had a reduction of $152,470. The department of social services had a reduction of $288,710.
"We can predict we are not going to be able to meet the entire need and will have to readjust," said Ella May Russell, director of social services.
Last fiscal year, there were 150 homeless children attending public schools in St. Mary's. Now there are more than 200, said Bennett Connelly, director of human services.
In fiscal 2008, there were 65 individuals who reported being a victim of domestic violence to social services. The next year the number escalated to 257. Reports of domestic violence to Walden/Sierra jumped from 442 to 692 in the same time.
Connelly said the positive side of the number increase is that more victims are coming forward to be counted than before. "Don't panic, we're not having a domestic violence episode happening," he said later Tuesday.
The St. Mary's social services department has had a hiring freeze since 2001. "We have lost 36 positions during this time," Russell said. The caseloads for families are up and the workforce is down, she said. "This is taking a toll now."
Like other state agencies, social services employees will be furloughed up to 10 days. Five of those closings will make for four-day weekends, which has a "major negative impact on customers and creates very large crowds to handle the next day we are open," she said.
In fiscal 2009, social services spent $939,000 to help 998 families with housing and utilities.
So far in this fiscal year, which began July 1, the agency has spent $311,000 for 310 families.
The number of calls for help with substance abuse to Walden/Sierra increased by 78 percent from 1,075 to 1,910 in one year.
The sheriff's office had 16 reports of rape in fiscal 2008 and then 28 the next year.
