- April 22, 2024
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The Florida Department of Children and Families will be closing its ACCESS service center for public assistance in Flagler County at 105 S. Bacher St., Bunnell, by November.
“The reason we are doing this is that the ACCESS service centers have become less necessary for our customers,” explained David Abramowitz, DCF Northeast Regional Director. “DCF has changed the way in which people apply for and receive public assistance. Since 2005, people have been able to apply for food stamps, Temporary Cash Assistance and Medicaid on any computer with Internet access at our website, www.myflorida.com/accessflorida.”
DCF understands that there are people in need who may not have Internet access in their homes. That is why the department has partnered with nine community centers, food banks, churches and libraries in Flagler County to provide computers for people to apply for economic assistance.
“We are reaching out to community leaders and legislators to help us find more community partners,” Abramowitz said.
The press release states that the system is saving Florida taxpayers as much as $83 million a year. Additionally, Florida has received nearly $24 million in bonuses from the federal government over the past four years.
DCF’s efforts have made Florida the No. 1 state in the country for accuracy in food stamp processing, according to the federal government.
The jobs of the two ACCESS employees at this service center will not be affected by these changes. These employees are being offered telecommuting positions or jobs at other service centers or DCF partner sites.
Currently in Flagler County, 14,343 people are receiving food stamps, equal to 15% of the county’s population. The number of people receiving food stamps increased dramatically in the 2000s, but has slowed down in recent years. From year to year, the number of Flagler County residents receiving food stamps went up by 5.9%. The percentage of children in Flagler County being helped by food stamps is 28.8%, according to the most recent DCF report.
Agencies or organizations that are interested in partnering with DCF to help provide economic assistance to people in need are encouraged to contact Community Development Administrator Arnold Anderson at [email protected].
