Family Services (FS) Housing Assistance

Housing instability can often be a major barrier to family stability and Welfare-to-Work (WTW) participation. Through Family Services (FS) Housing Assistance, the FS team is able to assist eligible CalWORKs families with housing assistance and support designed to prevent homelessness or secure housing when clients may already be homeless. FS Housing Assistance is comprised of three separate components: the Family Stabilization Housing Assistance Program, the At-Risk Office of Supportive Housing (OSH) Prevention, and the CalWORKs Housing Support Program (CHSP).     
Each of the three housing programs within FS Housing Assistance addresses specific client housing needs and has its own guidelines, procedures and service offerings, some of which may overlap.  Clients who are facing a housing crisis may be referred to the FS Unit for Triage, and an FS Associate Employment Counselor (AEC)/Employment Counselor (EC) will determine which program will provide the appropriate support based on the housing situation and requested services.  

Referrals

When making the referral through the DEBS Referral Application, refer to Family Services (FS) Program CalSAWS & DEBS Referral Application for referral entries and guidance. The initial referral is used for referral assignment purposes and data reporting. Refer to Family Services (FS) Referrals for the initial referral process.

Note: The CHSP and Family Stabilization Housing Assistance program are separate and apart from the Homeless Assistance payments that are issued by Eligibility Workers (EWs). Clients may also be instructed to contact the Benefits Office to explore payment options under CalWORKs Homeless Assistance (HA) Program.  Information regarding this program can be found in the CalWORKs Handbook under the Homeless Assistance Program Eligibility topic.