The number of people applying for public assistance in our state since March is lower than expected.
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller reported a substantial increase, but not the surge that was expected as families struggle with the fallout of the COVID-19 economic crisis.
Have questions about the spread of the coronavirus? We have an entire section dedicated to coverage of the outbreak. CLICK HERE for more.
These are remarkable numbers but still lower than the state expected,
Here are some of the numbers:
- Enrollment in CHIP, the state’s health insurance program for children, has enrolled just over 200,000 children since March
- SNAP which provides families assistance to buy food has increased enrollment by 123,000 since February
“The goal is to make sure that people who could be helped by these services know what is available,” Miller said.
DHS officials suspect a knowledge gap in who qualifies, and how to apply for help with utilities, food, or healthcare has had an impact on the lower numbers.
But they also think there’s another reason folks might be reluctant to apply for help and that is causing concern.
“We also know some people associate stigma in fear of government programs, so I want to emphasize these programs exist to help people meet basic needs such as affording groceries and accessing healthcare,” Miller said.
DHS officials said they are going to take a closer look at those on unemployment assistance to find out why they may not be applying for other benefits.
Click here to find out how you can apply to DHS public assistance programs.
This browser does not support the video element.