Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Social Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Social Services advisory board highlights rising demand and warns policy changes could increase caseloads
Summary
The Social Services advisory board presented its 2024 annual report noting 16,616 unduplicated clients served, increased SNAP and child-welfare activity, and uncertainty about impacts from federal/state policy changes and a recent federal funding interruption.
The York County Board of Supervisors received the York/Pocosin Department of Social Services advisory board annual report, which documented rising demand for services and flagged possible future impacts from state and federal policy changes.
Margaret McGeerich, presenting on behalf of the advisory board, summarized 2024 service volumes and funding. She said the department served 16,616 unduplicated clients in 2024, reported combined adult- and child-protective services reports numbering 1,329 and recorded 4,934 requests for financial assistance. "Over 53% of social-services spending was reimbursed by federal dollars, 44% by state dollars and about 4% by local dollars," McGeerich said.
Supervisors asked about the short-term effects of a recent federal funding interruption on SNAP reimbursements. McGeerich said SNAP reimbursements were reinstated and the state enacted emergency procedures; however, she told the board county staff were still evaluating the full fiscal and administrative impact, including how administrative reimbursement rules could affect local costs.
She also noted systemic drivers for higher demand, including persistent food insecurity and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on benefits reliance, and urged continued partnership among the county, the city, and community organizations.
The board thanked McGeerich and accepted the report; members said they would follow up on specific SNAP and public-health reimbursement questions as staff refines fiscal estimates.
