DSS: Use of food stamps up 22%

JOHNSTOWN - The number of people receiving food stamps in Fulton County rose by 22 percent last year, according to the Department of Social Services' 2008 annual report recently issued to the Board of Supervisors.

The report - prepared by DSS Deputy Commissioner Anne Solar - covered the various finances and programs among county government's largest agency.

Fulton County DSS in 2008 had a $27 million budget, with $22.3 million spent on programs, $4.4 million spent on payroll and $1.2 million spent on administration. The department received nearly $12 million in revenue last year - $6 million in federal revenue, $4.6 million in state revenue and $1.7 million in local revenue.

The report said the food stamp program added the greatest number of recipients in 2008. There were 7,015 food stamp recipients last year, an increase of 1,542 - 22 percent - from the 5,473 recipients in 2007.

"A poor economic climate, in conjunction with regulatory changes that made it easier for needy families to apply, contributed to the increase," the report stated.

The Home Energy Assistance Program, or HEAP, ended the year with 1,040 more recipients than in 2007 - a 15 percent increase. The report said Medicaid - the DSS program with the greatest long-term expansion recently- saw a "modest" increase of 3 percent or 418 recipients in 2008.

The food stamp program is administered at the federal level by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which calls it SNAP - the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The Fulton County report said face-to-face interviews are no longer required for food stamp applications from working families or those who have transportation difficulties or other barriers. The report said people can apply via telephone interview.

Johnstown 1st Ward Supervisor Richard Handy, chairman of the Board of Supervisors' Social Services Committee, today praised the work done by the DSS staff, singling out Commissioner Sheryda Cooper for a "tremendous job."

"I think everything's going okay, but you're always going to have your critics," Handy said.

He said the DSS budget picture is still cloudy for 2010, especially regarding Medicaid.

"Everything's in limbo, especially with the state," the supervisor said. "We don't know what the state's going to do."

Michael Anich covers Johnstown and Fulton County news. He can be reached at johnstown@leaderherald.com.

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VABOYE
11-04-09 1:36 PM »Report Abuse	PAM- just out of curiosity why do you not work??? Is it because you would not receive as much working as you do now as a recipient?
PAM1020
11-04-09 11:03 AM »Report Abuse	I AS A FULL RECIPIENT OF BENEFITS WITH ONLY 2 KIDS 2 BOYFRIENDS AND 2 MOMS AND 2 DADS WE HAVE TO LOVE THE STATE OF NY AND OBAMA AND PATTERSON FOR CONTINUING TO GIVE MORE AND MORE. IT ***** FOR THE ONES THAT WORK BUT YOU SHOULDN'T GET MAD AT THE ONES THAT ARE TAKING WHAT THEY ARE GIVING.
VABOYE
11-04-09 10:17 AM »Report Abuse	GIVEMEABREAK AND ADKlvr I couldn't agree with you more!!!!! Don't forget Lexington is always hiring and so is BOCES Substitute Services CAN anyone tell me why when these potential job hunters fail their preemployment drug testing they still receive benefits???????? ADKlvr- I also have NEVER had a problem getting a job .I have always held a full time job plus a part time job -whatever it takes to provide for my family. I guess we are the fools cuz we would probably do better on welfare and be stress free. So everyone out there working=WORK HARDER MILLIONS ON WELFARE DEPEND ON US!!!!!!.
ADKlvr
11-04-09 8:33 AM »Report Abuse	don't know why it's so hard to find a job?? I have had my job for over 2 decades, and when I have needed more $$ I have always been able to find a second job in a few days,,,,the difference between me and most "lifer" welfare reciients....I know how to work my butt off! Not afraid to lift, bend, or work up a sweat. I tried once to get some food stamp help for a month or two..walked out cause I could not sit there with people swearing, talking on cell phones, complaining about all they NEEDED that social services wasn't GIVING them...never again....instead I got 2 pt jobs plus my FT job and supported my own kids. How about making people WORK for their benefits?? Bet that wouldn't last long!
AreaResident
11-03-09 11:33 PM »Report Abuse	Income levels in Fulton County are roughly 60% of the state and national average. That means we would have incomes equal to the rest of our country if we all got about a 50% raise. To outsiders, we are poor -- the whole community -- and taking out our frustrations on the weakest members of our own community will not bring the rest of us up the the level we feel we deserve to be at. We do deserve to make more for the work we do. We work hard here, especially the people I've worked with at the more unpleasant (and lowest-paying) jobs. Jeff Bray likes to defend the EDC difficulty creating jobs by pointing to the fact that before the recession more people were working in FC than ever. Paychecks, no matter how small, generate payroll tax revenue for the state and fed. Working poor pay property tax indirectly through rent, sales tax when they buy anything, all the fees at the DMV and elsewhere. And yes, they receive public benefits (but only those who apply for them. And they all should.)
AreaResident
11-03-09 11:17 PM »Report Abuse	During the '80s when our area experienced an economic depression (15% unemployment, etc.), many families would have starved, contracted illnesses that could have spread throughout the community, been forced out of their apartments or homes, etc. This sort of thing used to happen in this country before we created these programs. It's unheard of now because we pay our taxes and keep these problems from developing. We all benefit through increased worker productivity, lower infant mortality rate, better school attendance and educational attainment, low rates of homeless families, etc. We're getting by on the cheap with the way we run these programs. They are not the problem. These programs do not create poverty, they prevent it from becoming third-world level.
AreaResident
11-03-09 11:11 PM »Report Abuse	Nearly all of the 7,000 receiving food stamps (or other assistance) are local residents. The number I said was probably not significant in the grand scheme of things is the handful of people who have supposedly come here simply to receive benefits and have no intention to work. There's an impression that they're arriving by the busload and being dropped off at Daisy Lane. Most people who receive benefits are local families who work.
givemeabreak
11-03-09 10:52 PM »Report Abuse	well let me see i go by taylor on route 30 between johnstown and gloversville and there is and has been a sign out there for months. stewarts has been hiring all over the place,walmart, target,price chopper, holidays are coming jobs openings. people just have to get out there and apply. i agree there isn't a job for everyone that is true but come on there is something out there for at least three forths of the 7000. i am all for helping the working people and retired and some disabled (the ones who are truly disabled). i have no problem with that at all. i do have a problem with helping the LAZY, capable of working. and you can leave fulton county to work ya know. no one says just because you live in fulton county you must work in fulton county.
mandiandsalena
11-03-09 8:25 PM »Report Abuse	All you people need to quit flapping you uppity, holier-than-thou mouths unless you plan on providing some Jobs to this area. Have you ever tried finding a job around here?? It takes months and months to find one.
mikegville
11-03-09 6:17 PM »Report Abuse	"So spending $1.7 million local tax dollars brings into the county $10.6 million state and federal dollars. That's a 1,000% return on our investment" How delusional are you?? I guess you don't pay FEDERAL/STATE taxes?? That's our money not some made up cash from a money tree.. They should cut the welfare and maybe invest in education to get these people off assistance.. And there should be a cutoff time..
JeffreyR
11-03-09 5:24 PM »Report Abuse	Significant? How much more significant do you want than 7000+ people? How does taking money from working people and giving it away create jobs?
AreaResident
11-03-09 5:07 PM »Report Abuse	So spending $1.7 million local tax dollars brings into the county $10.6 million state and federal dollars. That's a 1,000% return on our investment that goes into local businesses. It creates jobs, keeps people from going hungry and puts more money into our local economy. Remember that a large number -- possibly the majority -- of the beneficiaries are working people who happen to qualify and thousands of children who have not chosen to be born into poor families. Working full-time at minimum wage means you are living in poverty and probably can't cover all of your bills. If companies paid more we would't need to supplement the incomes of so many households. The 'credit card' makes the program more efficient (cheaper for the gov't to run). And this persistent myth that we're being flooded with poor people coming in from other areas has been repeated so many times that nobody even questions it anymore. You will be able to find examples, but I doubt it's a significant number of people.
Discobulous
11-03-09 3:55 PM »Report Abuse	If it wasn't for the needy and disconnected among us, I suppose the Social Service workers would be among the unemployed as well.
givemeabreak
11-03-09 3:26 PM »Report Abuse	DSS is such a joke... if you've lived in fulton county and paid county taxes for a long time and come in hardship you can't get help. BUT come here from any place else and you GET EVERYTHING... i just don't get it. WHY IS THERE NOT COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR SOCIAL SERVICES??? MAKE THE CAPABLE PEOPLE WORK FOR THEIR BENEFITS. some of us have to work to pay for THEIR benefits. we work to provide for them before we can provide for our own families. just think how much better the cities, towns and villages would look if CAPABLE Welfare recipients had to do community service. that would save the county so much money. are you kidding me they would never work for 'free'. either that or they would MOVE out of fulton county. better yet.
joann169
11-03-09 3:22 PM »Report Abuse	Food stamp's should be more like WIC there would be less abuse.
joann169
11-03-09 3:16 PM »Report Abuse	I think food stamps should be more the WIC. there would be less abuse .
rachelrae33
11-03-09 1:39 PM »Report Abuse	maybe someone should make food stamp receivers spend their food stamps more wisely then they would not need so much each month. I think the worst thing ever allowed was letting people buy premade food from convenience stores w/food stamps. Why do they call them food stamps anyway? Everyone has a welfare credit card now because god forbid anyone get embarassed about being on welfare.
JeffreyR
11-03-09 12:44 PM »Report Abuse	"$1.7 million in local revenue". Remember this number when you want to feel the pinch out of your county property tax increases every year.
FCjobs
11-03-09 12:35 PM »Report Abuse	7000 recipients out of 55,000 people - that's 12.7% Why do they refer to money recieved as revenue - don't you have to sell something? Salute Comrades!!

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