Created in 1985, the Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) program is a comprehensive effort by the state of California to provide education, employment, and support services to help welfare recipients enter the workforce. California's GAIN is now part of the national Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) program, established in 1988. In cooperation with county welfare departments, the California Community Colleges (CCC) are one of the major systems providing GAIN services. In April 1991, an annual survey was conducted to collect statewide data on GAIN student characteristics and on the types and value of contracts held by the CCC for providing specific GAIN services. Questionnaires were sent to all 107 of the state's community colleges. Study findings, based on a 90% response rate, included the following: (1) the number of program participants systemwide increased to 25,079, a gain of 15% from the previous year; (2) 73% of the GAIN students were female, 58.5% were non-white, and 77.8% were 25 years of age or older; (3) based on approximately two-thirds of the participants, 48.1% were involved in GAIN basic education, 34.6% in the Self-Initiated Program, and 17.2% were referred by county welfare departments after GAIN vocational assessment, having already attained a satisfactory level of basic skills; (4) the proportion of average daily attendance (ADA) produced from basic skills classes increased from 23% in 1988-89 to 36% in 1990-91, and GAIN students generated three times as much credit ADA as non-credit ADA; (5) overall, CCC GAIN revenues were $43 million, up from $35.6 million in 1989-90; and (6) $2.6 million of the $16.8 million in certified additional GAIN ADA claims went unfunded, marking the first occurrence of "deficit funding" of college GAIN revenues. Appendixes provide district-level data and legislative definitions of GAIN services. (JSP)