Coming up short

'We've never been through anything like this before,' one agency chief says

funds for the needy shrink as more seek help

One day recently, Samuel English met with placement manager Kevin Anderson. English got laid off from a construction job in mid-October and has scored only a few interviews since. With no job he cannot pay child support for his 4-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son.

English has experience coaching troubled youth in basketball, so Anderson's next move would be to check with a juvenile facility in Baltimore. Hedging his bets, he also planned to see if a Golden Corral restaurant needed someone to mop floors.

English, 40, said he has never had such a hard time finding work. As Anderson noted, he has a clean record and solid work history. English is trying to remain optimistic: "Eventually, somebody's going to give me a job."

RISING NEED

The Salvation Army, Greater Baltimore Command, is among area charities and government agencies that see increased demand for aid:

* Requests for rental assistance to stave off eviction grew from 24 in October to 471 during the first three weeks of November.

* People who needed help paying BGE bills increased to 1,105 during that three-week period, up from 851 last month. The October figure marked a jump from 671 calls in October last year.

* The number of meals fed to poor people jumped to 5,590 last month, from 3,026 in October of last year. (November figures were not available.)