Social - January 2004

County feels drop in employment

Published January 9, 2004

By DIANE TURBYFILL, Staff Writer

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The lights along Main Street illuminate downtown businesses and well-kept sidewalks and streets. But more than 2,000 of the county’s residents spend their days hitting that pavement searching for necessities — jobs and homes.

The Employment Security Commission and Department of Social Services work tirelessly to assist in finding both.

Susan McCracken, director of Lincoln County DSS, feels her department rises to the occasion.

“If I become aware of a family today that you would call homeless, I’m not going to let them remain homeless this evening,” she said.

Lincoln County does not have a homeless shelter, but McCracken said people are not left to sleep on the street.

“If we’re talking about people living under a bridge, I don’t know about them,” she said.

DSS offers a long list of programs to help people in emergency situations. Assistance is available to provide food, medical care, day care, shelter and power.

McCracken said it is impossible to list how many people receive the various types of help, but the demand has been increasing.

“We have seen an increase in the number of individuals receiving food stamps every month for the past two years. That has to do with the unemployment and underemployment situations,” she said.

The unemployment rate in Lincoln County is currently at 6.6 percent which calculates to 2,388 people in the workforce without jobs.

Judi Morton, director of the Lincoln County ESC office, said the decline in the textile and furniture industries has hit the area hard. Large plant closings in Lincoln and surrounding counties have increased the unemployment rate significantly over the past 10 years.

Morton remains optimistic that the economy and job market will improve.

“It’s still sluggish although there are some employers right now that are adding on like RSI and LeeBoy,” said Morton.

With minimum wage currently at $5.15 an hour, even people with jobs can’t always make their bills.

DSS and Christian Ministry of Lincoln County aim to assist people who come up short.

There are no homeless shelters in Lincoln County. The nearest shelters are in Hickory and Gastonia.

Social Services works directly with Amy’s House, Lincolnton Housing Authority and local law enforcement to keep people off the streets and in favorable conditions.

Susan Brymer, director of Christian Ministry, said that task is difficult in such a rural county. She said many of her clients may not be recognized, but to her they are the epitome of homelessness.

“I consider anyone who lives in an inhumane situation to be homeless,” she said.

She described people living in cars, barns and homes with no running water or electricity.

McCracken said the definition of homelessness is not spelled out. It has to be determined by the individual.

She said general statute dictates surroundings for children to be minimal but safe — wires safely tucked away, floors not rotting out and adequate heat in cold weather.

“But nothing says that a family has to have running water if they have other means of access to running water,” she said. “We have to look at each situation differently.”

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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