California is home to a wide range of social programs designed to help those in need. From cash assistance to medical care, food assistance, and employment programs, the state offers a variety of resources for low-income families, older people, people with disabilities, children in foster care, pregnant women, and adults without children with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level. The CalWORKs Program is the state's implementation of the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. This program provides cash assistance to eligible California families in need.
The General Relief (GR) program is a county-funded program that provides cash assistance to individuals who are not eligible for other public assistance programs. The Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) provides cash assistance to certain aged, blind, or disabled immigrants who are not eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The Cash Assistance for Refugees (RCA) program provides cash assistance to refugees who are not eligible for other public assistance programs. The County Benefit Rights Services Team (CBEST) provides information about public benefits to individuals who are eligible for public benefits. The CalFresh program (formerly known as food stamps) is a federal program that provides food assistance to low-income families and individuals.
This program pays for a variety of food items such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products, breads, cereals, meats, fish, poultry, and non-alcoholic beverages. If you qualify for CalFresh expedited benefits, you can receive your CalFresh within 3 days. The California Medical Assistance Program (Medi-Cal) is California's Medicaid program that serves low-income families, older people, people with disabilities, children in foster care, pregnant women, and adults without children with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level. County indigent medical programs can be classified as County Medical Services Program (CMSP) and Medically Indigent Services Program (MISP) counties. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) global grant is funded by the Federal Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and provides two basic types of services: energy assistance and weatherization services. Energy assistance helps low-income households pay their energy bills by providing a one-time payment or ongoing payments throughout the year.
Weatherization services help reduce energy costs by making homes more energy efficient. Workforce development programs offer a combination of education and training services to prepare people for work and help them improve their prospects in the labor market. The California Special Milk Program is a federally funded program that helps schools and other agencies provide milk to children at reasonable prices. Adoption services are also available through the Social Services Agency of the Department of Welfare. These services include Adoption, Sibling and Parent Search as well as other adoption services. If you need help filling out forms or completing the application process for any of these social programs in California, let us know right away.
