DPSS ePolicy

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California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs)/Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) participants identified as homeless or at-risk homelessness are expedited into the GAIN Program. Steps must be taken to ensure that homeless participants are not erroneously placed in the compliance process. 

Upon confirmation of a participant's homeless status, staff must take steps to cancel a participant's non-compliance or deny a sanction due to their failure to participate. Staff must review the appropriate California Statewide Automated Welfare System (CalSAWS) pages and reach out to the participant to determine whether they can participate in Welfare-to-Work (WtW) activities such as Family Stabilization and/or Specialized Supportive Services (SSS) or qualify for an Exemption or Good Cause (GC). 

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Homeless

A CalWORKs family is considered homeless when:

• It lacks a fixed and a regular nighttime residence;
• It shares a residence with family and friends on a temporary basis;
• It has a primary nighttime residence that is a publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations;
• It resides in a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
• It has a need for housing in a commercial establishment (e.g., hotel/motel), shelter, publicly funded transitional housing, or from a person or establishment with whom the Assistance Unit (AU) has a valid lease, sublease, or shared housing agreement, or
• A Domestic Violence (DV) applicant/participant who is fleeing from the abuser even if the applicant/participant has not yet spent a night homeless.

At-Risk of Homelessness

A CalWORKs family is at-risk of homelessness if the family:

• Received a notice to pay rent or a notice of pending eviction caused by a financial hardship due to circumstances out of the family's control (excludes evictions due to lease/contract violations); or
• Is experiencing a valid financial hardship that could render the family homeless if benefits are not provided.

Homeless Case Manager (HCM)

The HCM is a GSW assigned to a CalWORKs District Office to assess/case manage homeless and at-risk of homelessness families applying for/or already receiving CalWORKs.

Homeless Supportive Services (HSS) GSW/CCM

The HSS GSW/CCM is part of the Specialized Supportive Service (SSS) Unit at the GAIN Regional Offices and/or collocated at the Family Solution Centers (FSC). The HSS GSW/CCM works closely with the HCM to provide intensive case management to participants who request the Homeless Case Management Program services until their housing situation is stable. In addition, the HSS GSW collocated at the FSC communicates and works with the FSC staff (including the collocated FSC, Department of Public Health, and Department of Mental Health staff).

Note: SSS Refugee Case Managers (RCMs) in Refugee Employment Program (REP) offices assist homeless REP participants and collaborate with HCMs. HSS CCMs is inclusive of SSS RCMs throughout this policy.  

Compliance Process

A 20-calendar-day period during which the participant is given an appointment to provide Good Cause (GC) or sign a Compliance Plan (CP) to continue participation. 

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