Madison County homeless shelters
— Alternatives Inc. (643-0200) provides emergency and transitional shelter for women and children
— Christian Center (649-4264) provides emergency and longer-term shelter for men
— Beauty for Ashes (724-3454) provides transitional shelter for women

ANDERSON — A new living situation for some of Anderson’s homeless cropped up last month when a man living in an encampment in a wooded area near downtown was burned in his tent.

ANDERSON — Despite a multitude of Madison County agencies designed to help the homeless, some prefer to stay on the streets.

ANDERSON — It was a tough year for Anderson Community Schools. Years to come might not get any easier. Trends that have become constants for the system — declining enrollment, shrinking revenue and a dismal graduation rate among them — reached worrisome levels.

ANDERSON – A few words from Lennon Brown eventually get around to a conundrum engraved on a plaque in his office. “Everybody wants to get to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” The man who will serve as interim superintendent after 36 years with Anderson Community Schools laughs that he’s gotten calls congratulating him, and calls asking why he’d give up retirement for this.

ANDERSON – Parents’ involvement in their children’s education can make difference. It might even save the kids’ school. When the board of Anderson Community Schools this year considered a proposal to close Killbuck Elementary, Dave Lewis took it personally.

ACS by the numbers
— 9,421: Number of students enrolled, K-12, 2008-09
— 12,804: Number enrolled, K-12, 20 years ago
— 26.4%: Decline in number of students in past two decades
— 8,623: Projected enrollment, K-12, in 2012-13, a decrease of 9.5 percent

Last week, Anderson Community Schools closed facilities and laid off three dozen teachers in response to a $5 million budget deficit. The action has been six months in the making.

ANDERSON — Delco and Guide used to offer good jobs in Madison County without a lot of education. Those days are gone.Tanya Tellis understands that all too well.

ANDERSON — For some students, school is an exciting and fun place to learn and make friends. For others, it’s a place to escape from the harsh realities of living in poverty.
Although Madison County is no stranger to economic hardship, the recession has had a major effect on many local residents who were financially stable — and the community’s students are no exception.

ANDERSON — The room echoes with shouts of “We’re all one family!”
But the words don’t come from a mom and dad, brother and sister. Instead, they come from a group of unrelated children whose lives are filled with unknowns and plagued by “what ifs.”

ANDERSON — Many Americans consider a good education the key to the future. But when a family has no idea where the next paycheck is coming from — or if it’s going to come at all — education can tumble down the list of priorities.

ANDERSON — While the government is trying to find ways to put money back into the pockets and bank accounts of Americans, mental-health specialists say that the poor economy is taking a toll on the nation’s emotional well-being.

ANDERSON — Inside the Anderson Township trustee’s office in downtown Anderson on a recent day, a senior citizen named Beverly sought help.
She lives on her Social Security payment of about $600 a month and admits that sometimes she can’t afford to pay her electric bill. 

ANDERSON — Every year, thousands of Madison County residents go to not-for-profit organizations for assistance.
And as the number of people who need help grows, budgets are dwindling — so local agencies are trying to find ways to keep up with the needs of the community.

ANDERSON — It’s early on a cool Saturday morning, and the city streets are quiet. Most local residents are still in their warm beds.
But others are packing up their belongings and thinking about where they’re going to sleep when night falls again.

ANDERSON — In a long, narrow room lined on both sides with metal and plywood shelving, a few dozen jars of peanut butter and cans of green beans dot the mostly vacant spaces in the Salvation Army food pantry.
“We are a little bit empty right now,” said Rodney Morin, director of the pantry.     

ANDERSON — Bob Blume’s method of fighting poverty and combating crime is to help felons get their lives together as soon as they’re released from prison — before they get into trouble again.

Anderson churches are feeling the effects of an economic recession, but what about churches in the rest of the country?

ANDERSON — Scattering throughout the neighborhood surrounding East Side Church of God, a group of teenagers set out on a mission one summer evening in 2008.

Though not as active in seeking grants as it was a few years ago, the Madison County Homeless Task Force meets monthly.

ANDERSON — Drive through some Anderson neighborhoods, and you’ll see houses with boarded-up windows and “Do not enter” signs.
That’s where the reeling economy and an unstable job market have hit many Anderson residents — in the very places where they live.

ANDERSON — Americans’ attitudes toward the poor vary widely and have much to do with personal backgrounds, according to local sociologists and social-service providers.

Anderson is not alone.
Many communities in the Rust Belt have struggled economically and have gone through an identity crisis as industrial jobs have disappeared.