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two years, going from a caseload in the mid-teens to 32 families now. She has also seen an increase in families requesting emergency assistance. “We’ve - seen people distressed and worried sick,” she said.
She has also seen a lot of more serious family problems that may not be entirely due to economic hard times. “Families are splitting apart at the seams,” she said. “The situations we’re seeing are more difficult, more serious than we’ve ever seen before, and there don’t seem to be a lot of quick fixes. . . . Lots of people feel their lives are out of control. The economy may have raised the tension level in some homes, but that’s not the total answer.”
Mrs. Bowen praised the community for its willingness to help. She mentioned the response of local organizations to the need for Christmas baskets and the work of the literacy volunteers.
‘The people in this community are so incredibly responsive to people in need,” she said. It’s a joy to work with them.”
Librarian Nikki Lynch echoed Mrs. Bowen’s praise for the literacy volunteers and said she believed the economic hard times Ifad caused more people to take advantage of the tutoring to prepare them for the GED exam. She also said books on writing resumes and job search skills are checked out as soon as they arrive. She said she had also noted an increase in people checking out books on home improvements, from
86.4%