Effort Slashes Number of Single Adults on Welfare : Assistance: Figure plunges by 34%, county report shows. Supervisors will decide whether to continue program that helps the needy find jobs.

The number of single adults collecting welfare in Ventura County has plunged by 34% because of a new program aimed at helping the needy residents get jobs, county figures show.

According to a report prepared by the county Public Social Services Agency, the number of single residents receiving General Relief has dropped from 461 in January, 1992, to 304 in September. The reduction saved the county about $500,000 last year, officials said.

Overall, however, the number of people receiving General Relief makes up a very small portion of the county’s total welfare rolls--which also include almost 10,000 families--mostly because it is more difficult for single people to qualify for assistance.

Single applicants must prove that they have no assets--such as a car or stereo--before even being considered for welfare payments.

The county’s General Relief funds are paid exclusively to single adults. Families who receive welfare benefits in the county are paid by the state and federal governments under the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program.

In December, 1991, the Board of Supervisors agreed to take steps to cut the number of people on General Relief by offering job counseling, drug treatment and other services.

Supervisors will decide today whether to continue the program, which costs the county about $50,000 annually.

“We are helping these folks by giving them hope,” said Supervisor Susan K. Lacey, who spearheaded the county’s efforts to assist the down-and-out residents. “Hopefully, we’ll never see them again.”

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But while the number of single adults receiving government aid has dropped, the county’s welfare picture is still bleak. Last month, 9,886 families--a record number--were receiving welfare and food stamps in Ventura County.

Since 1988, county officials estimate that welfare, food stamp and Medi-Cal cases in Ventura County have more than tripled.

However, county officials said they are hopeful that the program to help single adults could eventually be expanded to assist struggling families.

“We see this is a real opportunity,” Lacey said.

Under the county’s program, General Relief recipients--who each receive up to $295 per month in assistance--undergo a battery of interviews to determine their needs.

“Every person is seen by a professional who can identify what the problems are and get them sent in the right direction,” said Helen Reburn, the county’s welfare director. “A number of clients have had substance abuse problems. We have been able to get them into treatment.”

She said the county also holds several workshops each week to help welfare recipients define their skills and search for jobs.

“Typically, this population has been considered very hard to have any success with,” Reburn said. “There are a lot of substance abuse problems. People have been out of work for some time. They have lost their sense of value. We have been able to focus on that.”

Before the county started the program, 223 of the 461 recipients were considered employable. In September, 98 of the 304 residents on General Relief had employable skills.

The amount of time single people spend on the welfare rolls has also dropped from 12 months to 5.5 months, according to the county report. Before the program started, the county was spending $1.7 million annually in General Relief. That figure has dropped to $1.2 million.

Reburn said the recipients are also required to provide documentation to show that they are trying to find jobs. If they do not, they are automatically dropped.

“It puts more responsibility on the recipients,” Reburn said.