Keeping Up With The Cost of Living

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Many people in the Central Market area are paid General Assistance or realted benefits by the City Department of Human Services. For these people, this is their only source of cash. Typically, this amounts to about $100 per month. The CAAP stipend has remained the same for over ten years with no allowance for cost of living increases. If the stipend were increased, residents would have more disposable income to spend on food. In addition, they would be less likely to resort to panhandling or other illegal activities like drug-dealing. An cost of an increase of $100 per month for CAAP recipients would be insignificant compared to the increases for City Government employees will be giving themselves in the new budget.