General Assistance applications steady, despite economy - Southeast Iowa Union

Washington County General Assistance Director and Veterans Affairs Officer Sue Rich

WASHINGTON — The archetypal 4th of fiscal twelvemonth 2023 saw 10 radical use for General Assistance benefits successful Washington County, the aforesaid fig arsenic past year’s archetypal 4th contempt increasing economical concerns and shrinking assistance from different sources.

The section uses taxation gross to assistance radical successful request with things similar rent assistance, inferior payments and immoderate aesculapian expenses, among different things. Recipients are constricted to $2,000 of assistance per fiscal year, and are disqualified by receiving astir forms of authorities oregon national aid.

“It’s not similar the aforesaid radical use each year, it’s exigency assistance from the county,” Washington County General Assistance Director Sue Rich said. “The codification requires that the region person this wealth for radical that aren’t capable to wage their bills.”

Rich said the debased fig of applicants was expected past year. The deficiency of maturation since then, however, was not.

“Last twelvemonth especially, erstwhile we had radical receiving stimulus wealth and past unemployment for COVID, radical were capable to marque ends meet,” she said. “I’m reasoning present that that’s over, we’re astir apt going to spot an uptick successful the magnitude of radical … we don’t cognize erstwhile radical are going to get into situation and request to scope retired for assistance.”

A surge of caller applicants successful request remains possible. Rich said the timing of specified a request was unpredictable, however.

“It’s truthful hard to archer each year, there’s not a elemental explanation,” she said. “If we person immoderate benignant of earthy disaster, of people we’re going to person a batch much radical astir apt coming in.”

Of the 10 applicants past quarter, Rich said 9 were rejected. The wealth comes with a litany of conditions for recipients, specified arsenic falling wrong national guidelines defining poverty.

“We’ve accrued the amounts that we wage for rent, utility, groceries, that benignant of thing,” she said. “But there’s stipulations. They person to person not discontinue a job, oregon person refused work, things similar that, that whitethorn disqualify them … if you are implicit income, that’s different eligibility requirement.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com