This chapter discusses the number of adults and children who benefited from services funded by the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG). During 2002, an estimated 14,280,000 people received services supported at least partially by the SSBG.^1,2 Of these clients, 7,844,000 (55%) were children and 6,436,000 (45%) were adults. The following are examples of individuals who benefited from services funded by the SSBG. ³

Jenny is an 81-year-old widow whose son had power of attorney over her affairs. Adult Protective Services (APS), funded by SSBG, discovered that her son took more than $250,000 from her various accounts and purchased several automobiles. APS contacted law enforcement and arranged for Jenny's brother to be appointed her guardian. The automobiles were recovered and sold and the money was returned to Jenny's accounts. The son was evicted from her home and is the subject of a criminal investigation.

Three years ago, Michelle and Rodney, ages 4 and 5, were placed in emergency custody because their mother used crack cocaine and frequently left the children unattended and without heat or food. Their mother's parental rights were terminated after the children revealed that she and her live-in male friend had physically abused them. The children were placed with foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. Miller, who have grown to love Michelle and Rodney. An adoption specialist worked with the children and the foster family to help them resolve issues related to the children's abuse, and to work toward the Millers' adoption of Michelle and Rodney.

Carl is a 33-year-old who suffered traumatic brain injury after he was attacked and severely beaten. Because of his brain injury he is unable to perform activities of daily living or ensure his own personal safety, and he cannot be left alone. His parents care for him during evenings and weekends, but are unavailable during weekdays because they work. Carl now attends an adult day care program, which is funded by the SSBG. Staff report that since his placement in day care, Carl has "just blossomed."

Yvonne has three children between the ages of 18 months and 4 years. She did not have financial support from her children's father and made the decision to rely on public assistance while her children were young. After receiving public assistance for 3 years, Yvonne made the transition from welfare to work. She now works 30 hours a week at a dry cleaning store. With the assistance of subsidized child day care, Yvonne can afford to work. These services have helped Yvonne become more self-sufficient.

State agencies used various methods to count SSBG services recipients. Some States reported all individuals who accessed a specific service in the State, regardless of the proportion of funding by the SSBG. Other States reported a proportion of total clients based on specific criteria, such as eligibility, clients of certain agencies, or programs that received SSBG funding. Despite this variation, State counts of service recipients were not adjusted, and all State recipient data were included in this report.

Recipients by State

California reported the largest number of people (1,755,000) who benefited from services, while Texas was second with 1,691,000 recipients. Six other States -- Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Ohio -- each reported more than 500,000 service recipients. (See figure 4-1.)

SSBG-supported services benefited an estimated 5 percent of the total United States population -- 10 percent of all children and 3 percent of all adults.

Recipients by Service

In 2002, child day care served the largest number of beneficiaries; in 44 States, approximately 2,839,000 children attended day care programs funded at least partially by the SSBG. These children comprised 20 percent of all reported SSBG recipients. When child day care clients were excluded from the total number of SSBG service recipients, the ratio of adults to children served changed significantly (56% adults, 44% children).

Four other SSBG-funded services -- case management, child protective services, information and referral, and special services for individuals with disabilities -- each benefited more than one million people. (See figure 4-2.)

Age of Recipients

In five States -- Alabama, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming -- SSBG-funded services were provided entirely to children. Additionally, children accounted for more than 90 percent of the recipients in Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Tennessee. The States that served the most children were California (1,233,000), Illinois (812,000), and Texas (802,000). (See figure 4-1.)

The large number of children served is not surprising because many services are designated specifically for children, such as child day care, child foster care, child protective services, adoption, and special services for youth at risk. Some other service categories also were reported by States as being used by a large proportion of children, such as pregnancy and parenting (78%), health-related services (70%), residential treatment (67%), and counseling (63%). (See figure 4-2.)

In addition to reporting adults and children separately, the new postexpenditure reporting form gave States the opportunity to report the number of adults in two age categories -- 59 years and younger and 60 years and older. Thirty-three States submitted data for recipients in these categories.⁴ The analyses of recipient data by age include only these States.

New Jersey reported the largest number of clients age 60 years and older (543,000). More than 80 percent of adults who accessed SSBG-funded services in Oklahoma (89%), Arizona (83%), and South Dakota (82%) were age 60 years and older. More than half of adult clients in Colorado, Delaware, Mississippi, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Wisconsin also were age 60 years and older.

The service category with the largest proportion of adults age 60 years and older was congregate meals (97% of adults), followed by home-delivered meals (82% of adults) and transportation (62% of adults). More than half of the adult clients of recreation, adult foster care, and other services also were age 60 and older.