Krieg Brooks doesn't look like he's hit bottom. A muscular Iraq vet with a firm handshake and a Red Wings cap cinched down over a full head of hair, he appears younger than his 47 years. But keeping up appearances is part of the game when you're out of work and struggling just to keep the lights on.
A jack-of-all-trades who has worked in everything from construction to gourmet kitchens, Brooks got laid off from his last full-time job as a cook at Cascade Lakes Lodge in December. He's currently working two nights a week at a small resort café. But he's not bringing in nearly enough to make ends meet - $300 last month by his own account - just enough to make him ineligible for unemployment.
Social service providers say Brooks is representative of the kind of people they are increasingly finding on their doorsteps and in their lobbies - hardworking folks who have never, or rarely, been in the position of asking for assistance in their lives.