BOISE -- The head of Idaho's Department of Health and Welfare says the economic recession has created unprecedented need for food stamp and other public assistance programs.
Director Richard Armstrong also said the agency may have to consider laying off workers and closing some offices across the state if lawmakers call for additional midyear budget cuts in fiscal year 2010.
Armstrong told legislative budget writers Tuesday the agency is handling more than 9,000 new applications monthly for food stamps, a 55 percent increase from 2007. He says more than 179,000 families and individuals are enrolled in food stamp aid programs, up 106 percent from 2007.
Armstrong is requesting a budget of $2.1 billion for 2011.
He says the agency faces a significant challenge in balancing the budget cuts with providing aid to the people who need it.
