The recession has caused a 30 percent spike among Utah residents looking for financial assistance, reports Julia Lyon of the Salt Lake Tribune. Although only 6,797 people are on the “Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, many more – 83,385 — are asking for basic help to eat. The state is now considering easing the eligibility requirements so more households can receive assistance with food and other basic necessities.
The effects of the recession are sometimes hard to track by the numbers. In Provo, for example, homelessness is down – but that could be because people are relocating to Salt Lake City and other areas that have more shelters, the Associated Press reports.
