Social Assistance

Social Assistance
Brief Excerpt from Industry Overview Chapter:

Organizations in this industry provide services such as food banks, temporary shelters, emergency relief, rehabilitation, adoption, and child care. Major institutions include Feeding America, Food for the Poor, and Habitat for Humanity (all based in the US), along with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Switzerland), Sanctuary Housing and The Salvation Army (both based in the UK), and World Food Programme (Italy).

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven by the number of people requiring assistance in a number of social, economic, and emergency circumstances. Larger organizations may have more effective marketing campaigns to reach a wider group of people in need. Smaller social assistance organizations may focus more on a local need or more specialized issues. The US industry is highly fragmented: the 50 largest organizations generate about 15% of industry revenue.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Individual and family services account for nearly 55% of revenue while child day cere services account for over 20%. Community food and housing, and emergency and other relief services account for nearly 20%. Other major service categories include individual and family social assistance services, which include daily living support for senior and disabled persons; youth adoption, foster care, and guidance programs; and welfare, crisis intervention, counseling, and community action services.