Tough Times: The Impact of the Recession in Athens, GA

Background and Purpose: The 2008 economic recession has been the most pervasive economic downturn since the Great Depression. Social work faculty and students designed a mixed-method study to describe the effects of the recession on households in Athens, GA. Already a city characterized by persistent poverty, it was hypothesized that the recession would further weaken the households' abilities to cope with meeting their basic needs. The study sought to answer the following research questions: 1) What are the characteristics of those most affected by the recession? 2) How have they been affected? and 3) How are they coping with these effects? Of particular importance to this study were those most negatively affected by the recession and how the profession could intervene to moderate these effects? Methods: Participants looking for assistance at various human service agencies in Clarke County were recruited through convenience sampling techniques. A total of 116 people were interviewed for the survey, of these, 46 participated in five focus groups. The dependent variable for the survey was dichotomized as the recession having no or slight effect versus moderate or severe effect. Bivariate analyses using various socio-demographic variables were performed. Computer-assisted content analysis with ATLAS-TI was used to analyze focus-group data. Results: Survey findings were somewhat surprising, revealing no significant relationship between the economic effects and any of the socio-demographic variables of interest. However, the recession had drastically reduced the incomes and the abilities of the respondents to pay bills. Thematic commonalities from focus groups showed that the recession had negatively affected the participants' abilities to afford healthcare; most were seeking both formal and informal supports; most had reduced their consumption patterns, and many were struggling with finding employment. Conclusions and Implications: While the study was limited by the sampling design and sample size, the results here are useful for both policy and practice with families facing economic hardship. The lack of significant findings from this study show that the recession affected people from different backgrounds in very similar ways. Focus on intervention cannot be limited to lower-income people, but should also be extended to people who previously held jobs that had put them in the upper-income rungs. Focus groups showed that the loss of health insurance coverage was a big concern to those losing their jobs. The passage of the recent health care law may in the future be useful in such scenarios. Recent economic data show that the recession is easing; however, the job market is recovering more slowly. Meanwhile, many states are cutting welfare programs, further compounding the plight of those who cannot regain employment nor receive welfare assistance. Efforts at the macro levels to create jobs should be complemented by mezzo and micro efforts to keep the households afloat until they are back on their feet.