http://66.225.205.104/SO20091228.mp3
Crisis Assistance Ministry has seen a jump in the number of people it serves over the past six months and it doesn't expect the ranks to go down any time soon. WFAE's Simone Orendain has this update. Since July, an average of about 175 people a day have come to Crisis Assistance Ministry in Charlotte seeking financial help to keep the lights on and a roof over their heads. That's a 100 percent increase over the number of people the agency served before the recession. Crisis Assistance spokesman Doug Hartjes says it looks like corporations' future plans will prolong the situation. "They probably never will hire back all the people they laid off. They probably will never go back to as robust a staff as they have because they're going to have to stay lean and mean for quite some time," he says. "That means that potentially the unemployment rate is going to stay high for some time and we're going to continue to see high demand at our agency." Hartjes says the agency is in good financial shape to address the increased demand because of a $100,000 donation from the recently announced critical needs fund. The fund will go toward emergency food, shelter and clothing needs in the Charlotte region through winter. It's the second time in as many years that the Foundation for the Carolinas has created the fund.