The recession is biting locally, as the number of people on social assistance in Hastings County has increased significantly.
The Hastings Department of Social Services reports that last month, there were a total of 33 hundred and 84 people receiving assistance, up from 29 hundred and 37 in March of last year. That is a 15.2 percent increase.
And, there’s a 4.7 percent increase in numbers from February to March.
Social Services says a total of just over 8 thousand people rely on social assistance, adding that March was the busiest month for new applications in the past 5 years.
