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Show By ROSELYN KIRK Davis County's Information and Referral Service is growing grow-ing so rapidly that director Vicki Johnson told Davis County Commissioners, the service may require an additional addi-tional employee in another year. The service, which is mostly financed through federal funding supplied by Title 20 of the Social Security Act, provides information and refers clients to other social service agencies, making 4,026 total contacts for the fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30. MISS Johnson said the agency has spent a total of $24,812, which averages out to a unit of service cost of $6.16. A total of 1,316 people have received information while slightly fewer, or 1,131, have been referred to other agencies agen-cies for help. Ranked high among the needs of Davis County residents are medical and legal needs and such basic commodities as lodging, food and finances. Miss Johnson i said that the requests for medical assistance totalled 238 last year. In some cases, she refers inquiries to the assistance as-sistance payments office, but if those do not qualify under that program or under the state disabling program, requesting the service, there is no where to go for medical help. Some of the medical needs, such as terminal illness, ill-ness, are not provided for ;under any program, she said. HOUSING needs have been somewhat alleviated through an emergency housing program, but some housing needs are still not being met, Miss Johnson said. The information and referral service was funded based on the assumption that many of those in need don't know where to go for the social services, Miss Johnson said. Calls increased so rapidly in September, that Davis County received half as many calls as did more populous Salt Lake County. POPULATION comparisons com-parisons show that Davis County has 130,000 people as compared with 500,000 for Salt Lake City, but Davis County received 732 calls as compared to about 1,400 in Salt Lake County. The bulk of the funding or 75 percent is provided through Title 20, while United Way picks up the tab for 12i percent and the county pays 12V6 percent. MISS Johnson told Davis County Commissioners that much of her time is spent with the elderly, in straightening straigh-tening out problems with social security checks. She said recipients receiving social security checks are required to go in for a three month review. If Davis County Social Security recipients do not go to Salt Lake City or Ogden to meet the requirements of this review process, the social security check doesn't arrive. When this happens Miss Johnson works through the problem with the social. security office to get the checks coming again. She said sometimes the computer does strange things and deducts money for medical needs or for rent supplements from the checks. This must all be straightened since social security check holders can't afford to lose any of the $150 a month which is all many receive. LISTED as the most frequent un-met needs for the fiscal year, which ended in - Sept., were indigent monies available for emergencies, Xta-SpepeTerly Xta-SpepeTerly C |