POVERTY IN COUNTY ON RISE; MORE THAN EVER GET STATE AID

The number of families in Cape Girardeau County receiving state assistance has reached yet another record level, up 26 percent over last year.

As of June, 980 families were receiving Aid to Families With Dependent Children payments, said Dennis Reagan of the county chapter of the Division of Family Services.

In June 1990, 778 families were receiving AFDC payments, Reagan said. The numbers represent a 26 percent jump in one year.

At the same time, the number of workers in the county's labor force has risen. In July of last year, 34,106 people were employed in the county, while one year later, that number was 35,171, show figures released by the Missouri Division of Employment Security.

But even though the number of county workers is up, the area has been affected by economic downturns in the past year, said Jack Cecil, office manager with the Division of Employment Security.

"It seems the general feeling is that things have been somewhat stagnant, even though our placements have been pretty good," he said.

Cecil said there has been an increase in the availability of food-service jobs in the county, and the demand for those workers has been relatively high.

"While there has been a slow-down, I don't think Cape County has been hurt as bad as other surrounding counties," he said.

Cecil said closing of the Brown Shoe Co., factories in Charleston and Fredericktown will further harm the employment outlook for other counties.

Reagan said the increase in the number of families receiving ADFC payments is due to several factors. Federal guidelines make more people eligible for assistance than they did several years ago, he said, and welfare programs have expanded, allowing for still more eligible recipients.

Statewide, more than 81,000 households receive AFDC payments, and another 198,030 receive food stamps.

Reagan said more and more welfare programs are focusing on training and educating recipients so they no longer need state assistance. "As we get into more advanced technology, that, in turn, demands people with more education and technical skills," he said.

Workers in manufacturing are currently facing some tough times, he said. "Those types of skills do not qualify them to move into a variety of other jobs without some type of retraining or education," he said.

The number of individuals in the county receiving AFDC payments in July was 1,285, Reagan said, up from 1,193 in June, 1990.

In addition, there has been an 11 percent increase in the number of county households receiving food stamps, from 1,705 in June 1990. to 1,923 last June, he said.