A Joint Initiative Between     Heart of Wisconsin     Business & Economic Alliance and     Community Foundation of Greater     South Wood County

Home About Us B2B Club Breaking News Contact Donate Events / Programs Feedback Ideas Incubator Industry Clusters Links / Resources Progess Funds Progress Teams Public Art / Murals Publications		Breaking News August 21, 2004 By Karen Madden, Daily Tribune Staff The number of people needing help from Wood County Social Services has steadily increased over the last year amid a struggling local economy. Terri Rapp, Social Services program manager, believes Stora Enso North America's job eliminations have boosted the number of people seeking help, but it's not displaced paperworkers she's seeing in the system. "It's employees from other businesses that have been impacted by money not being spent," Rapp said. Businesses such as restaurants and retail stores have lost sales as current and former Stora Enso workers cut back on spending to brace for job losses, she said. Marlene Hoffman, 48, of Wisconsin Rapids hasn't lost her retail job, but her hours have been cut in half over the last year. "People just aren't coming into the store and spending what they did before," Hoffman said. "They cut back hours rather than fire anybody." Hoffman, who is divorced, hasn't sought help from Social Services, but she has taken a second job baby-sitting to make ends meet. "I have a pretty good savings, so I'm getting by," she said. "Eventually, things will turn around." The Wood County Social Services Department has 1,706 food-stamp cases, a nearly 12 percent increase from the 1,526 cases at this time last year, Rapp said. BadgerCare, which provides health coverage for low-income people, is serving 1,921 residents in Wood County, up from 1,869 last year. Welfare-to-Work, or W-2, cases have remained about the same with 114 last year and 115 this year, Rapp said. Funding for programs such as food stamps and BadgerCare has remained about the same since last year, Rapp said. Funding for W-2 has gone down. Statewide, economic problems have increased the need for W-2 funding, she said. The state is looking at finding additional funding sources, she said.
		Copyright © 2004, Community Progress Initiative, South Wood County & Town of Rome