CalWORKs Homeless Assistance

The CalWORKs Homeless Assistance (HA) Program was established to help families in the CalWORKs program meet the costs of securing or maintaining permanent housing or to provide emergency shelter when a family is experiencing homelessness. CalWORKs HA program serves eligible CalWORKs recipients or apparently eligible CalWORKs applicants, who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. CalWORKs HA can provide payments for temporary shelter for up to 16 days, once every 12 months with exceptions, as well as payments to secure or maintain housing, including a security deposit and last month’s rent, or up to two months of rent arrearages.

For more information about the program, see the Homeless Assistance (HA) Fact Sheet.

Types of Homeless Assistance

• Temporary HA, which helps families pay the costs of temporary shelter.
• 16 days of temporary shelter with exceptions, including hotel or motel costs ($85 per day for a family of four or fewer + $15 for each additional family member, up to $145 daily)
• Permanent HA, which helps families secure housing or prevent eviction.
• Security deposit and last month's rent or 2 months arrearages to prevent eviction.

For more information about the program, see the Homeless Assistance (HA) Fact Sheet.

Eligibility/For Whom

HA assists CalWORKs recipients or CalWORKs eligible applicants, who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. For HA, homelessness is defined in the Welfare and Institutions Code 11450.

How to Apply

The Homeless Assistance program is administered through CalWORKs at the county level. Contact your local county welfare office to apply/learn more. You will need to complete the CW-42 (9/23) – Statement of Facts-Homeless Assistance to apply for this program.