Social Services detailed state of poverty in Botetourt during Pandemic at July Supervisors meeting

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Virginia extended all benefits programs that fall under Botetourt County Social Services, the Supervisors learned at its July 27, 2021 meeting.

That included Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to the maximum allowed per household to provide support during the pandemic emergency, according to Susan Goad, Director of the Department of Social Services.

Like most county departments, Social Services closed to the public for nearly a year during the pandemic, but it has since reopened. The Agency is open on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Clients may be seen by appointment at other times as well and the 20 employees work from home, too.

Social Services information shows that the county’s poverty level has dropped to 6% in 2020, down from 8% in 2017, Goad noted. However, the number of residents who receive SNP, Medicaid, or other benefits has increased from 4,587 in 2017 to 5,352 in 2020.

Child Protective Services had a decrease in referrals in 2020, partially because so many children were not in school or other areas where problems might have been spotted by other adults. Currently, the county has 14 children in foster care. Six of those children are scheduled for court hearings for adoption, Goad said. The county had one 18-year-old who is in the “Fostering Futures” program who has obtained a full scholarship to Hollins University for this fall.

Information provided by Goad indicates that in 2018, the last year for which the information is available, approximately 9% of county households live below poverty level. Twenty-seven percent of households live paycheck to paycheck, and are called “Alice” households. These households make the bare minimum necessary for survival and, “are just barely squeaking by,” Goad said. Sixty-four percent of the county households have income above the Alice threshold.

Additionally, 5% of all county residents have no health insurance in the locality.

Botetourt County contributed $926,591 to Social Services in fiscal year 2020. The total amount spent on Social Services in the locality amounted to $44.7 million. Those funds came from state and federal sources.

                                                                           — Anita Firebaugh, Special to The Botetourt Bee