Hit with a 25 percent increase in applications for help in the past year, the county Department of Social Services has added six staff members to handle a growing wave of paperwork.

The agency's office in Glen Burnie sees 700 applicants a month, plus another 600 in Annapolis. The number continues to rise as more people request cash assistance, medical assistance, food stamps and other help for their families, Social Services officials said.

"The recession is bringing new people into our environment," said Mark Millspaugh, assistant county director of social services. "Our goal is to give them everything they...