North Georgia agencies that help people with their food, heating and housing bills are running short of money as the economy and cold weather push those needs ever higher, according to officials with the United Way of Northwest Georgia.
Last week, when the United Way referred people to the Dalton Salvation Army — one of its funded agencies — people began lining up at 4 a.m. to seek aid, officials said.
An hour and a half after the Salvation Army doors opened, all the money available had been handed out, and 17 of the 35 people in line had to be turned away.
“The amount set aside on Monday was $4,426.71,” said Patricia Thompson, spokeswoman for United Way. “We gave it all away by 10:30.”
Michelle Smith and Amy Grammer, with United Way of Northwest Georgia, said the region’s 211 assistance service tracks the needs and unmet needs for help offered by 20 agencies, including the United Way, the Salvation Army and several churches.
“For Whitfield and Murray counties combined, the unmet need totals $220,207.58,” Ms. Smith said. “That has increased 14.37 percent in 2009 for Whitfield County and 19.82 percent in Murray County.”
At the same time, Ms. Grammer said, the pool of money donated to assistance groups has decreased.
“There is money out there to assist people, but there’s not enough money to go around,” she said. “People don’t have money to donate or to tithe.”
Whitfield County assistance money was down 11.24 percent, Ms. Smith said. Murray County’s assistance money was up slightly, but only because United Way board officials reprioritized funds to meet basic need requests and added $200,000 to Murray’s allocation in anticipation of heavy layoffs in the county, she said.
Still, in both counties, officials estimate 1,980 families, or 7,920 people, have been affected by the reduced amount of assistance money available.
HOW TO HELP* On Feb. 2, Moe’s Southwest Grill in Bryman’s Plaza North will donate a portion of its proceeds to United Way.* On the United Way of Northwest Georgia’s Web site, www.ourunitedway.org, click the “Give” or “Volunteer” buttons.Source: United Way
If the needs go unmet, some people “lose their power, or they get kicked out, or they don’t eat,” Ms. Smith said.
Far and away, the officials said, the biggest increase in requests for help is with utility payments.
Lori McDaniel, spokeswoman for Dalton Utilities, said the agency’s policy is not to cut off power or gas “if the projected low is 32 (degrees) or below.”
“We have held cutoffs now for three weeks because of the inclement weather,” she said. “We follow the guidelines of the Georgia Public Service Commission, even though we are not regulated by them.”