Danville-area food stamp participants on the rise

from Go Dan River

By John Crane

The number of those who rely on food stamps to stock their pantries in Pittsylvania County has nearly doubled in the last five years, according to the county’s Department of Social Services.

The county had 1,881 households using food stamps to purchase groceries in March 2003. But by March this year, that figure almost doubled to 3,522 cases, Jay Brown, director of the food stamp division under the Department of Social Services, said Wednesday.

Households can include one person or several people.
More full-time working adults who would have declined such assistance in the past, including teacher aides, nurse aides, clerical employees and construction workers with large families, are seeking the service now, Brown said.

“It’s not a lot,” he said, “it’s just unusual.”
Wages are stagnating while prices for products go up.

“A lot of the people are working, whereas in the past they wouldn’t have thought about applying,” Brown said. “We’re getting more people with better jobs.”

The social services office also is experiencing a higher volume of better-educated applicants with high school diplomas and college backgrounds, he said.

For Sherman Saunders, executive director of Pittsylvania County Community Action and the mayor of Danville, the numbers were expected.
“I’m not surprised,” he said.

Saunders pointed to several factors driving the trend, most notably layoffs in what were once industry staples here. In the past five years, layoffs and shutdowns took place at some of the area’s largest employers, such as DIMON and Dan River Inc.
Residents also experienced job losses from other area industries, including Universal Leaf, Masonite and Burlington Industries, Saunders said.

Every winter, eToys in Blairs lays off seasonal workers in December and January, Brown said.
Employees suddenly out of work may move back in with their parents, increasing household expenses, or become sick and saddled with medical bills, Saunders said.
Another factor is that income requirements for food stamps have eased over the years, Brown said.

The maximum eligible gross income for an individual is $1,107 per month, for a family of four it’s $2,238 per month, he said.

Benefit distribution, however, is based on net monthly income after taxes, bills for necessities and other essential expenses, Brown said.

Technology has also played a role.

Program beneficiaries get a debit-like card, or EBT card, which is replenished with funds once a month, Brown said.

Its similar appearance to a credit card reduces stigma for the participant in the grocery line and the card saves trips to the social services office, he said.

“It looks kind of like a Visa or Mastercard,” Brown said. “It’s a benefit to the customer.

“They’re (funds) available the first day of each month. A deposit is made on each card.”

The cards also cut down on fraud, he said.
The increase in food stamps also has hit Danville. The city had 3,609 households on food stamps at the end of 2003; at the end of 2007, 4,969 households were using food stamps, and on March 31, the city had 5,084 cases, John Moody, director of the Danville Division of Social Services, said Wednesday.