Past 18 months have hit Washtenaw County's residents hard

Andrea Hayward serves milk to her twin 4-year-old boys, Jackson and Elijah, as their sister Taylor, 2, sits by during dinner.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Andrea Hayward says she can get by on a piece of bread or other basic foods. Her kids are the ones she worries about.

Keeping food on the table for her three children was a struggle even before her husband, Trevor, was laid off from his job as a painter, forcing the Ypsilanti couple to apply for food stamps for the first time.

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Hayward’s husband normally works extra hours through the summer to build up a nest egg in the winter, when he's laid off. But this year, he was laid off in the summer, leading to months of wondering how the couple would make it through.

Their wait for a decision on assistance was stressful, Hayward said. A month after applying, they learned they'll get $233 a month. But the benefits don't start until today (Nov. 8).

“It just puts a strain on you. Every decision you make is based on money," she said. "I’m just at a loss for what to do next. You can’t ever just relax. You can’t. That dollar is always on your mind.”

The Haywards aren’t alone.

Across Washtenaw County, more and more people are underemployed, unemployed and in financial trouble.

The numbers

The number of people living in poverty is rising, numerous statistics show. Experts say the wave really began building in the last 18 months, which means the statistics haven't yet caught up to the full growth pattern.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average household income in 2007 for Washtenaw County was $80,077. That fell 2.2 percent to $78,305 in 2008.

The number of people living in poverty increased over that same period, the data shows.

Andrea Hayward chats with her husband Trevor as she holds their 2-year-old daughter Taylor in the families kitchen. Hayward works for Washtenaw County while her husband is unemployed.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

In Washtenaw County, the percentage of all people living below the poverty line increased from 12.7 percent in 2007 to 14.6 percent in 2008.

Last year, 7.1 percent of households in the county received food stamps, Census data shows. That’s up from 6 percent in 2007.

Poverty is greatest on the county’s eastern side, according to several people from agencies that help those in need.

What does it mean?

“It’s hard to characterize the poor in our county,” said Mary Jo Callan, the director of community services for Washtenaw County. “We’re seeing the new poor, people who had good jobs and now are laid off. It’s really taken off in the last 18 months.

“There’s also an uptick in the ‘old’ poor, people who were living on the margins and have used up all their resources. What we’re seeing is a burgeoning crisis. People are desperate.”

That’s because unemployment and reliance on public assistance strains a person, said Larry Voight, president of Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County.

“No one wakes up in the morning excited to go stand in line at a food pantry,” he said. “Much of our personal identity is tied up in work. (Not having a job) is an assault on one’s sense of identity. It really messes with someone’s self-esteem, and that’s just for starters.”