Should Emergency Assistance for Needy Families Be Continued? If So, Program Improvements Are Needed

The Emergency Assistance Program, administered by the Social Security Administration of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), was established to provide financial assistance and social services to meet emergency needs of needy families with children under 21. The legislative history indicates that Congress intended that the program would assist families without available resources and that the assistance would be necessary to meet an immediate emergency need that would not otherwise be met. Assistance may be in the form of cash or such items as food, clothing, rent, utilities, or medical care provided or paid for by the agency administering the program.