Address

Area Offices

Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services

CalWORKs

COVID-19 Updates

Limited In-Person Services

Currently, all Alameda County Social Services Agency office lobbies are offering limited in-person services. If you are applying for assistance, submitting verifications, reporting a loss of income, or have questions, we encourage you to use options found HERE.
To find a list of applications by program, click here: Application Forms With Links

SAR 7 and Redetermination Waiver

SAR 7s and redeterminations that were due in March, April, and May 2020 were postponed.
If your CalWORKs redetermination or SAR 7 was originally due:

March 2020, it is now due September 2020
April 2020, it is now due October 2020
May 2020, it is now due November 2020.

For more information and resources, including ways to report a loss of income, click here

CalWORKs (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids) is a public assistance program that provides cash aid and services to eligible families that have a child(ren) in the home. If a family has little or no cash and needs housing, food, utilities, clothing or medical care, they may be eligible to receive immediate short-term help. Families that apply and qualify for ongoing assistance receive money each month to help pay for housing, food, and other necessary expenses.

Welfare Reform in California assures that welfare is a temporary support in times of crisis, rather than a way of life; encourages and rewards personal responsibility and accountability by recipients; and fosters a "Work First" attitude. Currently, assistance is limited to 48 months for the parents of eligible minors, though the minors may continue to be eligible.

How to Apply

Needy families are encouraged to apply for CalWORKs at any of our offices in Alameda County or apply online. Please bring photo identification, proof of income, property, citizenship status, age, social security number, residence, shelter costs, work or school status, as well as any other information pertinent to determining a family's eligibility. Effective July 1, 2018, adults who apply for CalWORKs will no longer be required to be fingerprinted but instead must present a form of photo identification in -person to complete the application and eligibility determination requirement.

Services

Programs and services for which a CalWORKs family may qualify include:

CalFresh
Medi-Cal
Child and Medical Support Enforcement
Employment Services
Family Planning
Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP)
Free supportive services, such as childcare and transportation

Diversion payments and services are available for CalWORKs eligible families who would prefer a one-time payment to accept or keep a job.

Eligibility

Although grant levels are based on family size, the same eligibility criteria apply to all families. Specific eligibility requirements take into account an applicant's citizenship, age, income, resources, assets and other factors. In general, services are available to:

Parents or caretaker relatives that have a child(ren) in the home who has been deprived of parental support or care because of the absence, disability or death of a parent; and
Families with a child(ren) when both parents are in the home, but the primary wage earner is unemployed

Income Standards and Maximum Aid Payment

The Minimum Basic Standard of Care (MBSAC) helps determine a family's financial eligibility. It is the gross monthly income limit. For families with earned income, the county subtracts $90.00 from the gross income to determine if the family is within the income limits.

Family Size	Maximum Aid Payment	Maximum Gross Income
1	550	741
2	696	1,216
3	878	1,507
4	1,060	1,788
5	1,242	2,040
6	1,424	2,295
7	1,606	2,522
8	1,788	2,744
9	1,970	2,978
10	2,152	3,232
More than 10	2,152	Add $29 for each addtional person

Time limit

Welfare Reform in California assures that welfare is temporary support in times of crisis, rather than a way of life; encourages and rewards personal responsibility and accountability by recipients; and fosters a "Work First" attitude. The law has changed the amount of time to receive cash assistance from 5-years (60 months) to 4-years (48-months) effective July 1, 2011.