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1992.08.17 :  SSI Outreach

Contact: Phil Gambino (410) 965-8904 (202) 690-8359
August 17, 1992

       HHS Secretary Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., announced today
that 49 community-based organizations throughout the country will
receive a total of $8 million in federal funding to test
effective, ongoing and transferable ways to locate and assist
low-income elderly, blind and disabled individuals who may be
eligible for Supplemental Security Income benefits.
       The 49 cooperative agreements will herald a new stage in
an SSI outreach campaign that has been a Social Security
Administration priority since Social Security Commissioner
Gwendolyn S. King took office in mid-1989.  
       "President Bush has challenged all government agencies to
break down the barriers that prevent underprivileged Americans
from taking advantage of the services and opportunities that are
available to them," said Secretary Sullivan.  "These cooperative
agreements will enable us to develop new and innovative ways to
reach and help, among others, low-income African-Americans,
Native Americans, Hispanic and Asian Americans, the mentally ill,
adults and children with disabilities and people who are
homeless." 
       "This is an urgent priority," Commissioner King said.  "We
cannot and will not passively accept the suffering of our fellow
citizens.  Our efforts are designed to ensure that SSI benefits
are paid to all the men, women and children of this country who
should be receiving them."
       Even with the highest level of commitment and dedication
of SSA employees nationwide, Commissioner King said that the most
effective approach to reaching potential beneficiaries has been
through liaisons and the forging of partnerships with community
activists and organizations.
       "There are hundreds of thousands of caring, compassionate
people already providing assistance in their local communities. 
It makes sense for SSA to work in symphony with these ongoing
efforts,"  Commissioner King said.  "People are far more likely
to walk through a door held open by a familiar face than a
stranger with a government ID card."
       Secretary Sullivan said the cooperative agreements are 12
to 17-month arrangements with long-term implications.  "I have
high expectations that these projects will not only give us new
ideas to incorporate into our program, but will establish
permanent support structures in communities across this nation--
an outcome that will ultimately improve the quality of life for
our most vulnerable citizens."
       SSI is a needs-based cash assistance program for low-
income elderly, disabled and blind individuals.  Administered by
the       
Social Security Administration, the program is financed from
general revenues of the U.S. Treasury.  The maximum federal
monthly payment in 1992 is $422 for an individual and $633 for a
couple.  Currently, over five million men, women and children
receive $1.9 billion each month in federal SSI benefits.  In
addition, many states supplement the federal benefit.

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(NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS:   A complete list and brief description
of all 49 cooperative agreements awarded funding is available
upon request.)