Sources of Household Income for the Previous Month (5.8.3)
Clients were asked to indicate the major source of their household income for the previous month. They were then asked to name all sources of their household income. Table 5.8.3.1 and Table 5.8.3.2 summarize the findings.
Table 5.8.3.1
MAIN SOURCE OF HOUSEHOLD INCOME FOR THE
PREVIOUS MONTH
Main Source of Household Income for Previous Month | Pantry Client Households | Kitchen Client Households | Shelter Client Households | All Client Households |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Job |
25.0% |
26.8% |
26.8% |
25.5% |
Government welfare assistance |
|
|
|
|
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) |
1.8% |
1.1% |
1.1% |
1.7% |
General Assistance (GA)a |
2.0% |
3.4% |
4.6% |
2.4% |
SUBTOTAL |
3.9% |
4.5% |
5.6% |
4.1% |
Other government sources |
|
|
|
|
Social Security |
22.1% |
13.5% |
5.1% |
19.5% |
Unemployment compensation |
1.5% |
1.2% |
1.0% |
1.4% |
Disability (SSDI)/Workers’ Compensation |
7.2% |
6.4% |
4.3% |
6.9% |
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) |
10.1% |
9.5% |
5.5% |
9.7% |
SUBTOTAL |
40.9% |
30.5% |
15.8% |
37.4% |
Nongovernment, nonjob sources |
|
|
|
|
Pension |
2.6% |
2.4% |
0.6% |
2.4% |
Child support |
1.2% |
0.6% |
0.5% |
1.1% |
Churches |
0.0% |
0.1% |
0.3% |
0.1% |
Alimony |
0.0% |
0.0% |
0.1% |
0.0% |
Relatives |
1.3% |
1.3% |
1.4% |
1.3% |
SUBTOTAL |
5.3% |
4.3% |
2.8% |
4.9% |
Otherb |
2.4% |
4.1% |
4.0% |
2.8% |
No income |
6.7% |
15.9% |
32.6% |
10.0% |
Unknown |
15.8% |
13.8% |
12.3% |
15.2% |
TOTAL |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
SAMPLE SIZE (N) |
37,986 |
10,667 |
4,225 |
52,878 |
Source:
This table was constructed based on all responses to
questions 29 and 30 of the client
survey
.
Notes:
The percentages presented in this table, unlike those in
most other tables, were calculated without leaving out item nonresponses
(labeled “unknown”). To ensure that key percentages, such as that for no
income, appear consistent within this table and across related tables, a
constant denominator, which includes item nonresponses, was used. All
responses were weighted as described in Chapter 3 and in the Technical Appendix
volume to represent all emergency food clients or households of the A2H National Network.
Missing, don’t know, and refusal responses combined are 15.8% for pantry clients, 13.8% for kitchen clients, 12.3% for shelter clients, and 15.2% for all clients.
a This includes some form of limited savings.
Overall, 25.5% of the clients indicated that a job was the main source of income for their households for the previous month. Other sources of income are as follows:
- For 4.1% of all clients, welfare assistance from the government such as TANF and GA was the main source of household income.
- For 37.4% of all clients, other government assistance such as social security or unemployment compensation was the main source of household income.
- For 4.9% of all clients, income came mainly from nongovernment, nonjob sources, such as pension and child support.
