Study of emergency assistance and special needs programs.

This article gives an overview of a research study concerning emergency assistance and special needs programs. It notes that the range of programs available in States and counties is large, but that due to a combination of rules, State and local priorities, and financial difficulties, coverage of groups of clients and types of needs is uneven. The nature of the emergency assistance and special needs system in States seems to be closely tied to reactions to the nationwide trend toward standardizing grants and to such long-standing State policies as those concerning the desired size of welfare grants and the level of individualization preferred.