Jefferson County met Bart S. Bonner's challenge to investigate how its social services resources were being used by releasing a report Tuesday that appears to contradict the Watertown resident's theory about out-of-towners bleeding services dry.

Mr. Bonner told legislators last month that he was witnessing "a deterioration of Jefferson County as more and more people take advantage of our services."

He blamed nonresidents in particular, who "get off the old bus, sent here from Philadelphia, Boston, New York City or Rochester, walk up to DSS and say, 'I'm homeless.'"

The area, he suggested, was becoming a "dumping ground" of undesirables.

"They bring their hos. They bring their bros and they bring their blow," said Mr. Bonner. "And they are not from Jefferson County."

Angered about paying more taxes to provide services for nonresidents, Mr. Bonner asked legislators to "conduct a survey from those yo-yos next door and find out what percentage of the people on DSS are not from Jefferson County. Ask the sheriff what percentage of drug possession, wife batteries and robberies are from Jefferson County (residents)."

Legislators then asked DSS Commissioner Laura C. Cerow, who attended the July 29 meeting, to address Mr. Bonner's comments.

"Hi, I'm head yo-yo," she said when introducing herself to Mr. Bonner and before accepting his challenge. "I think you're going to be surprised because I don't think you're going to find that the people we serve are from outside the county."

On Tuesday, Mrs. Cerow provided last month's report on homelessness, which noted that five of the 44 singles who needed housing were from outside Jefferson County. Three out of the 17 families were out-of-towners.

The main reason for homelessness among individuals and families in Jefferson County is eviction by the primary tenant, which is usually a friend or former lover. Those comprised 43 percent of all single homeless cases last month and 41 percent of all family cases.

Mrs. Cerow said homeless numbers locally were "rising pretty steadily."

She attributed that partly to rents that are higher here than in similar markets due to a local housing shortage and the stipend that soldiers are given to spend on housing. The commissioner also said the state's housing allowance for those on public assistance is not keeping pace with the market.

Mrs. Cerow also provided statistics about the county's public assistance caseload, although her department does not compile specific data about new residents who are receiving benefits.

The number of cash assistance cases has fallen from 1,159 in July 1999 to 482 this July, a 58.4 percent reduction. Cash assistance programs are Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which provides financial help and employment opportunities to low-income families; Safety Net, which serves primarily single people or families on public assistance for more than five years; and Emergency Aid for Adults.

"That's quite the accomplishment and I congratulate you on that," Mr. Bonner said of the reduction. "I'd love to see if the county budget has had a corresponding decrease for Social Services, Medicaid and other factors."

Ms. Cerow cited increased Medicaid costs, the development of "welfare to work" programs and the increased number of child welfare cases as just three reasons why her department's budget hasn't dropped by almost two-thirds in nine years.

Mr. Bonner said Tuesday his crusade isn't over.

"I'm getting ahold of the sheriff to see how many people have been arrested here in the last year or two who are also not residents of Jefferson County," he said. "I'll report back to you when I get that information."