Huge Jump In Residents Seeking State Aid

HARTFORD (AP) — Connecticut officials say demand for programs run by the state’s Department of Social Services has jumped 18 percent in a single year.

With the economic downturn, the agency is seeing more requests for food stamps, cash assistance for singles and families, and health care coverage under Medicaid, including the HUSKY insurance program for children and eligible parents.

Commissioner Michael Starkowski announced January 4 that enrollment in nine DSS programs had reached nearly 924,000 people as of November. That is an 18 percent increase from 2008. Individuals are counted more than once if they receive multiple services, but Mr Starkowski says the numbers still represent “a tremendous increase.”

More than 295,600 state residents were receiving food stamps in November, up 32 percent from a year ago, and 58 percent from five years ago.