By John Basilesco
Staff Writer
August 18, 2008 01:25 am Rising costs for just about everything and more requests for financial help may put a strain on some local welfare budgets. Several towns have seen an increase in calls for financial help to human service departments to keep up with the rising costs of gasoline, food, rent, utilities and other basic necessities, local officials said. In Pelham, more requests for financial assistance could deplete the welfare budget before year's end, Finance Director Janet Gallant said. Towns are mandated by the state to provide financial assistance to everyone who qualifies for it, even if it means overspending welfare budgets, Gallant said. Honoring all the requests could mean increasing the tax rate slightly when it is set later this year, or it may mean tapping into the reserve fund, which is usually used to lower taxes, Pelham Town Administrator Thomas Gaydos said. Given the trimmed budget, there's not much wiggle room for any increased spending, he said. Gaydos said more laid-off people, including construction workers, are seeking assistance this year. "The rising price of gas, which affects food and other products, is putting people behind the eight ball," Gaydos said. "Some people seeking help are young, in their 20s, and haven't seen a bad economy before." Nikki Carr, Plaistow's human services coordinator, said what's happening is similar to when Lucent Technologies laid off hundreds of workers, including some Plaistow residents, several years ago. While it's not to the same degree, there are more laid-off workers in the production and manufacturing industries seeking help this year, she said. "I've heard some people say, 'I've been laid off and I've been doing the job for so long,"' she said. "More people who have been laid off are seeking financial help or looking to learn new job skills — or both." To date, $57,000 — or 76 percent — of Pelham's $75,000 welfare budget has been spent, with four and a half months to go, including the colder, more expensive months, Gallant said. The biggest complaint Gallant hears involves the high price of gasoline, she said. In Plaistow, 71 percent of the welfare budget has been spent, largely because everything costs more, Carr said. Through the first half of the year, the department has provided financial assistance to 39 people, compared with only 21 for the same period last year, Carr said. In addition, 110 people have been referred to other agencies for help, compared with 79 through the first half of last year, she said. Requests for aid include everything from helping families buy new clothes and materials for children returning to school to help finding a job, she said. "My job isn't just giving out financial help, but it also involves letting people know of other agencies and local organizations, including the American Legion, First Baptist Church and Lions Club, that can help them," Carr said. Requests for financial assistance are up in Atkinson, too, and the town has spent about twice as much from its welfare budget this year as last, selectmen Chairman Paul Sullivan said. "The economy is driving this need," he said. "Having enough money to pay bills and to pay for the necessities of life is making it tight for a lot of people." For the first half of the year, about $8,400, or 52 percent, has been spent from Atkinson's $16,000 Human Services Department budget. Last year, only 25 percent had been spent during the same period, Sullivan said. Hampstead has seen a slight increase in requests for financial assistance this year, human services coordinator Danielle Forsyth said. But less than half of the budget has been spent through the first half of the year, she said. Through June, about $10,000 of the $25,000 welfare budget has been spent, she said. "People are feeling the pinch of energy costs and there are more people who are unemployed," she said. "But not all of them qualify for assistance. Retirement plans and other accounts can keep someone from qualifying for financial assistance." Other towns, including Salem, Windham and Derry, have not seen an increase in welfare requests. In fact, the welfare budget in Salem has used up about $10,000 less this year than last, Finance Director Jane Savastano said. Through June, Salem has provided $39,939 in financial assistance, compared with $49,248 for the same period last year, Savastano said. She said she wasn't sure why the number was down in light of the economy, but she noted the more expensive fall and winter months are ahead. Derry has seen the same level of requests for financial assistance for the last two months, said Janice Mobsby of the Finance Department. Derry is on a fiscal year budget, which begins July 1. However, there has been an increase in its fuel assistance program, Mobsby said.
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