SIC 8322
INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY SOCIAL SERVICES

This industry includes establishments primarily engaged in providing one or more of a wide variety of individual and family social, counseling, welfare, or referral services, including refugee, disaster, and temporary relief services. This industry includes offices of specialists providing counseling, referral, and other social services. Government offices directly concerned with the delivery of social services to individuals and families, such as issuing of welfare aid, rent supplements, food stamps, and eligibility casework, are included here, but central office administration of these programs is classified in SIC 9441: Administration of Social, Human Resource and Income Maintenance Programs.

NAICS Code(s)

624110 (Child and Youth Services)

624210 (Community Food Services)

624229 (Other Community Housing Services)

624230 (Emergency and Other Relief Services)

624120 (Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities)

624221 (Temporary Shelter)

922150 (Parole Offices and Probation Offices)

624190 (Other Individual and Family Services)

Industry Snapshot

The services within this industry can be classified as either public assistance programs or social service programs. These include individual and family service establishments that provide counseling and social services such as refugee, disaster, and temporary relief. Also included are state and local offices that distribute welfare benefits. Some private and public agencies offer adult day care, home-delivered meals, homemaking services, and in-home nursing. Other programs concentrate on children and youth, such as big brother/big sister organizations and protective and adoption services. The industry covers crisis centers, self-help organizations, parole offices, and probation services.

The shape of U.S. social services underwent a transformation in 1996 with the introduction of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which replaced the long-standing Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). Welfare roles dramatically declined, from 5 million AFDC recipients in January 1995 to 2.2 million families on TANF in June 2001. The future of both private and public social services hinged largely on the future shape of TANF, set to be revamped during 2003. Since TANF is the dominant provider of U.S. welfare services, its successes and failures directly affect the ongoing services of other support agencies.

Organization and Structure

Public welfare programs fall under one of three general categories: social insurance, public assistance, or social services. Funded by mandatory contributions from employers and employees, social insurance programs are designed to protect people who experience a sudden loss of income due to the disability, temporary employment, retirement, or death of a wage earner.

Public assistance programs are designed to help the financially needy with services commonly known as welfare, particularly through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Food Stamp program. Financed by federal, state, and local tax dollars, these programs provide benefits to people who show financial need and meet specific program qualifications.

Public social services were developed to meet needs through services such as counseling, day care, emergency youth shelters, alcohol and drug abuse services, and foster care. These programs are operated by state, county, and/or city...

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