CHAPTER 3. SERVICE RECIPIENTS

During 2005, an estimated 16,777,771 people received services supported, at least partially, by the SSBG.^20,21Of these clients, 10,627,000 (63%) were children and 6,150,000 (37%) were adults. This chapter discusses the number of adults and children who benefited from services funded by the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG). The following are some examples.²²

Jonathan is a 13-year-old boy who has had nine foster care home placements in the past 2 years. His behavioral problems included hurting animals, lighting fires, and acting out violently against his foster parents. None of the families was equipped to manage Jonathan's severe behaviors effectively. Through a program funded by the SSBG, Jonathan receives intensive counseling services, and his current foster care family receives training and counseling to handle his behavior. Jonathan has been in his current placement for more than six months, and his oppositional behaviors have diminished greatly.

Betty suffers from inoperable lung cancer. She lives with her daughter, Ann, and Ann's husband, Lowell. Betty's cancer is spreading rapidly and she now requires constant supervision, but her family wants to avoid hospitalizing her during her last months, and prefers to care for her at home. Caring for Betty is a full-time job, and Ann has trouble finding time for simple tasks such as grocery shopping. Every Tuesday and Thursday, SSBG funds provide for a respite nurse to visit their home to spend 4 hours with Betty while Ann takes care of shopping and other errands.

Isaac has been a heavy alcohol user since age 14. When he was 19 years old, he was arrested and convicted for driving under the influence of alcohol. Now, at age 23, Isaac lost his job when his supervisor discovered he was intoxicated while at work. Issac's family recommended he seek professional help for his drinking problem. He voluntarily checked in to an inpatient program for substance abusers funded by the SSBG. When the program ended, Isaac was connected to a local support group that continues to help him stay sober. Isaac has been sober for 75 days and is reemployed at his previous job.

State agencies used various methods to count recipients of SSBG services. 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 (3,805,000) who benefited from SSBG-funded services, while Texas was second with 1,990,000 recipients. Two other States--Illinois and Nevada--reported serving more than 1,000,000 recipients and three other States--New Jersey, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania--each reported more than 500,000 service recipients. These seven States comprised 63 percent of all SSBG recipients. (See figure 3-1.)

RECIPIENTS BY SERVICE

In 2005, the largest number of service recipients was reported for child day care; in 42 States, approximately 4,494,000 children attended day care programs funded, at least partially, by the SSBG. These children comprised 27 percent of all reported SSBG recipients. When child day care clients were excluded from the total number of SSBG service recipients, the proportion of adults and children served was equal (50% adults, 50% children).

Five other SSBG-funded services--case management, child protective services, health-related services, information and referral, and special services for individuals with disabilities--benefited more than one million people each. (See figure 3-2.)

Figure 3-2 Recipients by Service, 2005 (in thousands)
Service	Recipients	Number of States
Day Care--Children	4,504	42
Protective Services--Children	1,817	41
Information and Referral	1,430	18
Special Services--Disabled	1,313	27
Health-Related Services	1,241	15
Case Management	1,199	28
Prevention and Intervention	846	35
Family Planning Services	680	13
Other Services	622	25
Foster Care Services--Children	519	38
Protective Services--Adults	412	37
Housing Services	261	11
Home-Based Services	255	34
Counseling Services	187	23
Transportation	186	21
Substance Abuse Services	183	12
Adoption Services	181	30
Special Services--Youth at Risk	156	19
Education and Training Services	146	16
Pregnancy and Parenting	134	12
Congregate Meals	110	11
Home-Delivered Meals	94	18
Legal Services	92	14
Day Care--Adults	48	22
Residential Treatment	47	23
Independent/Transitional Living	38	18
Recreation Services	35	9
Employment Services	26	11
Foster Care Services--Adults	18	14

AGE OF RECIPIENTS

During 2005, 16,777,771 individuals received services supported at least partially by the SSBG. Of these clients, 10,627,836 (63%) were children and 6,149,953 (37%) were adults.

In four States--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 Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Tennessee. The States that served the most children were California (3,188,000), Texas (1,076,000), and Illinois (953,000).

Many SSBG-supported 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. States also reported some other service categories as provided to a large proportion of children, including pregnancy and parenting (94%), health-related services (83%), prevention and intervention (64%), residential treatment (59%), and counseling (54%).

In addition to reporting adults and children separately, States reported the number of adults in two age categories--59 years and younger, and 60 years and older. Thirty-nine States submitted data for recipients in these categories.²³The analyses of recipient data by age include only these States.

New Jersey reported the largest number of clients age 60 years and older (547,000). Eighty-eight percent of adults who accessed SSBG-funded services in Oklahoma were in the age category 60 years and older. More than 60 percent of adult clients in Colorado, Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Tennessee were in the age category of 60 years and older.

The service category with the largest proportion of adults age 60 years and older was recreation services (87% of adults), followed by home-delivered meals (85%), and congregate meals (83%). More than half of the adult clients of education and training, adult foster care, and transportation services also were in the age category 60 years and older.