CONCORD ó Beginning Feb. 1, the Cabarrus County Department of Social Services will operate an hour longer than normal every other Tuesday, closing at 6 p.m. instead of 5 p.m.
The extended hours are for residents who need to apply for assistance such as food and nutrition services, formerly known as food stamps, Medicaid, child day care, crisis economic assistance and child support.
ěWith the challenging economy, DSS has seen a drastic increase in the public assistance caseload size over the past three years. We hope that extended hours will benefit our working recipients so that they can receive the needed services from the department without having to sacrifice work time and productivity,î said Ben Rose, director of Cabarrus County DSS.
In food stamp distribution over a three year period, the caseload size has risen more than 50 percent with 5,875 additional cases. The Medicaid caseload has increased 20 percent since 2007 to 21,778 cases.
The extended hours are being used on a trial basis on the following dates: Feb. 1 and 15; March 1 and 15; April 5 and 19.
Clients can call DSS at 704-920-1400 during operating hours for additional information about services and programs or visit the Cabarrus County website at www.cabarruscounty.us/social.