A report by a local advocacy group claims that getting public assistance is a confusing, onerous process that often ends up excluding some of the city's most vulnerable residents.

The report by the Urban Justice Center claims that agency errors, inappropriate sanctions and case closures are common among welfare recipients based on interviews with 52 welfare clients appealing losses in benefits.

Sixty-eight percent said the agency ended up withdrawing sanctions against them, according to the report. The findings indicate the number is in line with city wide statistics that show 86 percent of cases in an appeal process are either dropped or reversed in favor of a client.

Researcher Lori McNeil said homeless males between the ages of 46 and 52 are most likely to experience difficulties with their cases and that often this population struggles with mental and physical disabilities that make it difficult to comply with rules.

"They didn't know about a meeting. They didn't understand where they were supposed to be. ... And the case is closed so then you just start over and over and over again", McNeil said.

The report also found it takes an average of four months to resolve problems and a month longer if the case involves children. While welfare recipients are supposed to continue to receive benefits when challenging a sanction, McNeil said 40 percent of the 52 people interviewed reported they were no longer receiving aid.

The city's Human Resources Administration said clients are given two opportunities to correct problems before their benefits are effected. It also said the report is based on a small sample that's not representative of the overall population of HRA clients.