From the
Billings Gazette in Montana. In the picture, Poverty Resistance thrift store manager Rickey Hahn marks the prices on items that have just arrived.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Trish Peacock, executive director of Cheyenne Interfaith Hospitality, received five calls in quick succession one recent morning from people in desperate need of housing.
These people may have lost their jobs or may have been overwhelmed with medical expenses, or both.
Whatever the cause, they were about to become homeless -new members of the low-income or no-income ranks who cannot pay rent.
Wyoming, Peacock noted, lags about 18 months behind the national economy and recession.
"We're seeing the beginning of the worse of it," she said. "It will take longer to recover."
In Cheyenne for the past 12 years, a certain number of people have gone through this type of financial crisis, she said.
Now the number is growing.
Her nonprofit organization provides housing for three families at a time. They stay until they are self-sufficient, meaning they have jobs, can buy groceries and rent a place to live.
At that point Peacock hits another snag: a shortage of good affordable housing in Cheyenne.
In Casper, the Poverty Resistance program also is seeing increased demand.
About 60 families a week get basic foodstuffs from the organization's pantry while 10 per week come in for clothes and five or six for furniture.
Poverty Resistance (pictured) is more attractive to many low or no-income people because it doesn't have a lot of red tape to deal with like other helping organizations, said director Mary Ann Budenske.
"We're also seeing people laid off who never had to get food stamps before," she said. "There are a lot of ripples in this economy."
The office is seeing more elderly and developmentally disabled people who need assistance.
"When the economy slows, the developmentally disabled are the first to lose their jobs," Budenske said.
This can put an additional financial strain on the parents of a developmentally disabled person who has been living at home.
Although Budenske, an attorney, quit working for Legal Services 10 years ago, many people still call the Poverty Resistance office seeking legal advice.
The lack of any Legal Services in the state, she said, is a hindrance for people who lose their jobs and encounter barriers in getting help while also trying to cope with aggressive debt collectors.
Budenske said she always has believed that Legal Services is essential to getting people out of poverty.
The Salvation Army in Cheyenne, meanwhile, is seeing a 37 percent increase in the number of people needing food and clothing.
In September, 472 more people had lunch at the Salvation Army kitchen than in August, said Pete Fetsco, who works in the office.
Cheyenne, Fetsco said, is a generous community but currently there is more demand than resources available.
The organization receives a lot of requests for help with rentals and prescription drugs but can only do so much.
But the Salvation Army is receiving more food donations from some supermarkets, restaurants and churches.
"We have people walking in the door with food," Fetsco said.
The experiences of Peacock, Budenske and Fetsco are reflected in statewide statistics from the Department of Health and the Department of Family Services.
The Department of Family Services expects a jump in the number of applications this month for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP] , formerly the food stamp program. Family Services Economic Assistance Administrator Heather Babbitt said in a media release that's because summer seasonal jobs end.
Others earn so little they join the ranks of the working poor, she added.
In August 2009, SNAP households totaled 12,097 in Wyoming, up from 9,321 in August 2007.
Last year the agency saw a 33 percent increase in the number of households applying for the home heating help program [LIEAP].
Although natural gas prices may be relatively low this winter, many residents are in different economic positions this year and will be looking for help with their heating bills, Babbitt said in the release.
The state will have about $10.2 million in economic stimulus money to make homes more energy efficient for low-income residents.
Information about these programs is available at www.dfsweb.state.wy.us or by calling 800-457-3659.
The Department of Health, meanwhile, reported an increase of 3,674 Medicaid enrollments between January and September.
The total on Sept. 1 was 64,215, with 41,881 children,
Total spending on Medicaid for the fiscal year ending in June 2009 was $512 million, up from $466 million the previous fiscal year.
The average cost for a Medicaid recipient in fiscal year 2009 was $6,824, an increase of $1,087 over fiscal year 2007, according to Kim Deti, public information officer for the Department of Health.
Enrollment for the Kid Care health insurance program continues to drop. In September enrollment was 5,375 compared to 6,100 in July 2008.
The Kid Care manager attributes the drop to the economy, as families with job losses may now qualify for Medicaid, Deti said.
From the Billings Gazette in Montana. In the picture, Poverty Resistance thrift store manager Rickey Hahn marks the prices on items that have just arrived.