Food stamp denials were up 14%, general relief denials were up 10%, and Medi-Cal denials were up 7%.
Philip L. Browning, the county's director of social services, said the increased denials reflect an overall surge in applications for assistance in recent months. Although the largest spikes in demand for aid were in working-class and low-income communities, middle-class areas also saw significant increases.
But to qualify for CalWorks, a family of four cannot earn more than $1,218 a month or have more than $2,000 in cash or property, not including their home. If they have a car worth more than $4,650, the added value counts as property. To qualify for food stamps, an application that takes into account monthly living expenses such as rent and utilities, the same family cannot earn more than $2,297.
Although the county has earmarked more than $195 million in stimulus money for CalWorks, and $12.5 million for homeless services, that is not likely to reach middle-class families, Santana said. He estimated that it will cost hundreds of millions more to expand such help. "The funding we're getting from the stimulus is barely going to cover the increase in demand," he said. "Now we have to find money for those who are on the cusp of becoming eligible."
The new demand and changing clientele are apparent in busy Social Services offices countywide. Food stamp applications at the Chatsworth office increased 20% this February over last, with CalWorks applications up 23% for the same period.
Browning said he visited the office a few weeks ago on a Friday afternoon, expecting it to be nearly empty. Instead, he entered a waiting room crowded with people dressed professionally, briefcases in tow.
"All the seats were full, and you could really tell the difference in the people, people who had not been to a public welfare office before," Browning said. "Some of the intake staff will tell you they are seeing many more people like themselves and are saying, 'There but by the grace of God go I.' "
Caseworkers at the Panorama City office say they have seen applications double during the last six months, with up to 800 on a busy day. The office, which covers the eastern San Fernando Valley and Santa Clarita, has seen food stamp applications increase 45% this February over last, with CalWorks applications up 38%. "We have people who have been in the banking and mortgage industry, mothers with two kids, married couples where the husband got laid off and the wife had her hours cut back," Browning said. "They never had to apply for assistance before. It's a difficult thing."
