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Social Services Consortium General Assistance Client Demographics

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Social Services Consortium General Assistance Client Demographics Bay Area Social Services Consortium Counties Alameda Contra Costa Humboldt General Assistance Marin Client Demographics Study Mendocino in Monterey Napa Contra Costa County San Benito San Francisco San Mateo Santa Clara Santa Cruz Prepared by Solano Sof'loma Bay Area Social Services Consortium Universities Center for Social Services Research Sacramento Slate School of Social Welfare San Francisco State University of California, Berkeley San Jose Stale U niversily of California, Berkeley Michael J. Austin, Ph.D. - Principal Investigator Sheryl Goldberg, Ph.D. - Project Director Foundations Janelle Cavanagh - Research Assistant The Zellerbach Melissa Lim - Research Assistant Family Fu11d Jiff Duerr Berrick, Ph.D. - Consultant for Contra Costa County Social Service Department John Cullen, Director John Lee, General Assistance Division Manager January 1996 Univmily of California al Berkeley • Sdwol of Social Welfare 1BASSC) • 120 Haviland Hall • Berkeley. CA 94720 • Fax 510-643-6126 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Contra Costa County Social Service Department and the Bay Area Social Services Consortium Research Response Team of the Center for Social Services Research, School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley wish to thank the 458 General Assistance applicants in Contra Costa County who gave their time to be interviewed and provided the invaluable information which allowed us to compile this report. We extend our appreciation to: Bob Hofmann and Jewel Mansipit who helped with the conceptualization of the project; the supervisors and program staff at the four intake sites who helped coordinate the interviews including M. Teresita Salter, Carl Dudley, Margie Kidd, Helen Bierce, Stefanie Guynn, and Carol Calvert; and Beverly Wright who assisted with organizing the Social Security Numbers of General Assistance applicants granted the benefit. We also extend our thanks to our research colleagues who made important contributions to this document namely, Nancy Goldfarb and Cassandra Simm el. i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION In 1995, the Contra Costa County Social Service Department requested that the Research Response Team of the Bay Area Social Services Consortium (BASSC) of the Center for Social Services Research at the School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley assist with conducting a demographic study of the General Assistance (GA) population in the county. The purpose of the research was to document certain demographic information not routinely available so that the Social Service Department may have data necessary for planning and developing programs which would best serve both General Assistance recipients and the larger Contra Costa County population. The research study focuses upon a subset of 458 persons who applied for General Assistance benefits at the four intake sites in the county over a four-week period during the Summer of 1995. This research presents a snapshot or point in time description of the demographic characteristics of GA applicants and recipients living in Contra Costa County. GENERAL ASSISTANCE IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTY Even though General Assistance is mandated under State Welfare Institutions Code 17000, it is funded entirely by the county through General Fund dollars. GA is regarded as a short-term program designed to meet the minimum needs of unemployed/disabled persons and to instill self­ sufficiency for those who are employable. The goal of Contra Costa County's GA program is self-sufficiency. To assist recipients to meet this goal, the Social Service Department: • provides employable clients with services to assist them with obtaining self sufficiency through employment; and • provides unemployable clients with services to assist them with obtaining Supplemental Security Income (SSI). RESEARCH FINDINGS - IN THEffi OWN VIEWS PROFILE OF GENERAL ASSISTANCE APPLICANTS Researchers interviewed 458 persons applying for General Assistance during a four week period in the Summer of 1995. The following are the self declared reports of these 458 persons. II Demographics of GA Applicants • Applicants were interviewed at the Richmond intake site (46.3%), Martinez intake site (25. 5% ), Antioch intake site (24. 2% ), and Hercules intake site (3. 9%). • Approximately two-thirds ( 61. 6%) of those applying for General Assistance were male; slightly more than one-third (38.4%) were female. • While the overall ethnic mix varies by location, the study population included: 41. 8% African American, 38.7% Caucasian, 8.8% Hispanic, 6.8% Asian/ Pacific Islander, 1.8% Native American, and 2.2% Other. • The mean age of the GA applicants interviewed was 33.4 years (standard deviation= 10.7). • Those who indicated either single, divorced, separated, or widowed totaled 95 .4%, and (4.6%) were presently married/coupled. • Although one-fifth of the respondents (20.7%) did not complete high school, the majority (51.1%) reported receiving their high school diploma or GED. Over one-quarter (28.1%) of the GA applicants interviewed indicated that they had vocational training (4.6%), taken undergraduate courses (18.9%), or completed an undergraduate (4.2%) or graduate degree (.4%). • Slightly more than one-tenth (13.3%) reported being a U.S. Veteran; the majority of these persons having served in the Army (57.4%), Navy (21.3%), or Marines (14.8%). Residency Status • A large majority (93.6%) ofrespondents reported being U.S. Citizens. All of those who were not citizens (n=27) stated that they were legally documented. • Over one-third (35.5%) of the total sample of GA applicants reported living in the City of Richmond, 11. 9% said they lived in Concord, 10.1 % in Antioch, 9% in Pittsburg, 7 .9% in Martinez, and 7% in San Pablo. • Over half(56.9%) of the GA applicants interviewed are long term residents of Contra Costa County, having lived there for 10 years or more. In the past six months, only 9.7% have relocated to the county. Most stated that the reason for their move was to make a "new start" (47.8%). Housing Status • One-third (33.7%) of those interviewed self identified as homeless. Slightly less than one­ third (29.1%) ofthe respondents indicated that they lived in an apartment and (28.4%) lived in a house. Ten percent lived in public housing or received Section 8 housing 111 vouchers. Nearly half(44.9%) reported that they lived alone. Employment History/ Income Sources • Over three-quarters (77.1 % ) of persons applying for GA benefits reported being unemployed and looking for work, 8.2% were unemployed (not looking for work), and 7.8% were disabled/unable to work. Applicants interviewed who were employed (either full time, part time or occasionally) consisted of 5.3% of the sample. • Of the unemployed, nearly one-quarter (22.1 % ) indicated being without a job for about six months to one year. Those who had never been employed represented 6.1 % of the sample. Slightly less than one-tenth (9.6%) have not been working for more than five years. • The most frequently reported reasons for unemployment were: 1) employment ended (33 .1 %), 2) physical/mental health issues (17.8%), and 3) a variety of other reasons (35.9%) [which included "recently released from jail," "can't find work/ not enough work," "going to school," and "language barriers]." • When applicants were queried about their sources of income in the past six months, over one-third (37. 7%) stated that they received Food Stamps, 37% had full/part time work, and 34.7% reported receiving assistance from relatives. One-fifth (20.8%) ofrespondents were reapplicants and reported receiving General Assistance benefits within the past six months. • A small percentage (16.4%) of the General Assistance applicants had applied for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Of these (n=72), nearly half(47.2%) had an application pending, 34. 7% had their application denied and took no further action, and 11.1 % had their application on appeal. Social Services • Although the majority (63%) of GA applicants reported they did not receive any social services, 15.4% indicated receiving food/meal services in the past six months, 13.8% used health services, and 9.2% received employment services. • A substantial percentage of GA applicants had a recent history of incarceration. Nearly one-third (32%) of the respondents stated that they had been in jail in the past two years. Of these, 39.6% had committed a felony and nearly half(47.1%) were on probation or parole. • Close to one-fifth (19.5%) of those interviewed reported receiving in-patient or out­ patient treatment for substance abuse, while slightly more than one-tenth (11.9%) reported receiving mental health in-patient or out-patient treatment. IV • When respondents were asked about the most important se1vices that could help them become more self sufficient, the five top service needs were: 1) employment (such as job training and placement) 55.8%, 2) affordable housing 43.6%, 3) financial assistance 41.4%, 4) health services 32.7%, and 5) food programs 26.4%. Applicants' General Assistance History • While the most common response to a question about the reasons for applying for General Assistance benefits was "no resources available" (47.8%), 28.9% said '1ob loss," and 19.3% reported "other" reasons than those listed on the survey (including "recently released from jail," "can't find job or lack of work," "income while looking for work," "waiting for SSI," "need money while attending school," and "recently relocated"). • Only 10.2% of the 458 applicants interviewed had ever received GA benefits from another county. Half (51.4%) reported this was their first time applying for GA in Contra Costa County. • Of the respondents who had received GAin Contra Costa County (n=210), 39% received the benefit for one to three months, 16. 7% received the benefit for four to six months, and nearly one-quarter (24.8%) collected GA for one to two years. PROFILE OF PERSONS GRANTED GENERAL ASSISTANCE Of the 458 General Assistance applicants interviewed over a four-week period during the Summer 1995, researchers were able to match 132 applicants (using the last four digits of their Social Security Numbers) who were granted the General Assistance benefit.
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