PROVIDENCE — The state will soon make it easier for poor Rhode Islanders to get money for food.

The Department of Human Services yesterday promised to hire nine more workers for its nutrition assistance program, formerly known as the food stamp program.

Other announced changes include simpler application forms for the elderly, fewer financial barriers for some, and a year-long service span. Currently, recipients must reapply every six months.

Applicants may also be able to apply over the phone, rather than in person. The U.S. Department of Agriculture must approve that option.

As the economy falters, the number of people relying on help for their next meal is rising. Last year, 92,395 Rhode Islanders sought help, a 15 percent increase over the year before. Nearly 1 in 11 rely on the state to buy groceries.

“Rhode Island is working hard to ease access to food assistance,” said Gary D. Alexander, acting secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. “Program simplification is the quickest way to serve those most in need.”

In addition to the changes, the state will reach out to those who recently lost their jobs. About 20,000 people receiving unemployment benefits will receive notices about the program.

Advocates have been pushing for the changes for years.

“Anything they can do to ease the process is significant,” said Kathleen Gorman, director of the University of Rhode Island’s Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America.

Application forms can run 28 pages and require plenty of documentation, said Gorman, who oversees the food assistance outreach program.

For some, just getting to an interview is a struggle, she said.

Social activist Henry Shelton, director of the George Wiley Center, in Pawtucket, welcomed some of the changes.

But, he said, the state needs at least 40 new workers to deal with the heavy caseloads.

Shelton also questioned how quickly the changes would occur. “There have been years and years of promises,” he said.

One of the changes –– the elimination of assets as qualification barriers –– could help applicants such as Nelly Carrasco, who lost her housecleaning job in December.

The 43-year-old Providence mother of two owns a home in Puerto Rico, but she hasn’t made a payment in eight months.

The bank is foreclosing. But because the house is still in her name, she was denied state assistance, Shelton said. “She’s been going to hearings and appeals, but nothing has happened.”

Recipients no longer receive food stamps but buy groceries with a debit-style card. The state deposits money into the account –– an average of $200 –– on the first of every month.

To qualify, an individual cannot earn more than $1,123 a month.

Advocates blame layoffs, foreclosures and high food costs on the surge in demand. The state’s unemployment rate is 10 percent, among the highest in the nation.

“We’re going to see more and more people apply, people who have never applied before,” said Donalda Carlson, the state’s acting associate director of economic support services. The surge will last two years, she predicted.

State and union officials have agreed to quickly post the nine new jobs, said Jack Palazzo, senior business agent for Council 94, the union that represents state workers.

pdavis@projo.com