Child protection agency stretched thin

As Southwest Florida families struggle financially, the Department of Children and Families is seeing a dramatic increase in abuse and neglect reports.

"The economy, it's a big stressor," said spokeswoman Erin Gillespie. "If both parents are working and the father loses his job, it sometimes leads to drinking and substance abuse. Substance abuse rates rise in poor economies. We have kids without enough food and people not paying attention to what they are doing."

This in turn is leading to a higher rate of neglect within the community, she said.

"People are hurting and it may feel like a depression or a recession," said Howard Dvorkin, founder of Consolidated Credit Counseling, Inc. "Fort Myers was in the middle of a giant building boom. There was a tremendous amount of building going on and it stopped about 18 months ago."

Unemployment in the Fort Myers area is about 9 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

"We're really talking about parents in crisis here and we're trying to provide them assistance as quickly as we can," Mrs. Gillespie said. "The need is so great."

During the 2005-2006 fiscal year, there were 5,414 child protective investigations in Lee County. As the economy began to falter, investigations increased. In the 2007-2008 fiscal year, there were 7,054, a 30 percent increase.

The number of adult protective investigations remained about the same.

"We really try to work with families to keep them together," said Mrs. Gillespie. "We can give them emergency food stamps, cash assistance and food through other community based providers."

Providing emergency assistance in the area where DCF has seen the most dramatic increase. In August 2007, the agency provided food stamps to some 26,627 people in Lee County. A year later, that number nearly doubled when the agency gave out food stamps to 43,104 people. It is the highest percentage change in the state at 61.9 percent, according to Mrs. Gillespie. The state average is 22.7 percent.

"People lose their jobs, spend all of their money and then they realize they do not have any food," Mrs. Gillespie said. "The economy is not doing well, to say the least. Gas and groceries cost more. It just stretches things too thin."