CalFresh Homeless Assistance requirements - do you need children to qualify for 16 days?

The homeless assistance program through CalFresh actually has specific requirements. You're thinking of the CalWORKs Homeless Assistance program, which does require you to have children or be pregnant. That program provides temporary shelter payments for up to 16 days. For actual CalFresh (food benefits), being homeless may qualify you for expedited services, but there's no specific '16 day homeless assistance' component within the CalFresh program itself. To get the CalWORKs homeless assistance temporary shelter payments, you need to: 1. Have a child in the home or be pregnant 2. Meet the income eligibility requirements (typically under 200% of Federal Poverty Level for 2025) 3. Be experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness 4. Have less than $10,000 in available resources Hope that helps clarify!

they don't tell u this but u can only get the 16 days ONCE in a 12 month period. found that out the hard way when our second eviction happened and they denied us. BS if u ask me

I went through this last year! Yes you need a minor child to qualify for CalWORKs homeless assistance. The 16 days motel vouchers really helped my family when we lost our apartment. Income limit for 2 people was around $2,440 monthly when I applied. They approved us in ONE DAY once I showed the eviction notice!! You should get to the county office ASAP though because it's first-come first-served based on funding. Some counties run out of money for this program. Bring ID, birth certificate for your kid, proof of income, and something showing you're homeless (eviction notice, letter from shelter, etc). Good luck!!!

when i was in your situation, i couldnt even get through to the calworks office!! called for DAYS and kept getting disconnected or waiting 2+ hours. eventually i found this service called claimyr.com that got me connected to a worker in like 15 mins, they have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 they got me through to someone who processed my homeless assistance application that same day instead of waiting weeks for an appointment. seriously saved us from sleeping in our car longer.

The Homeless Assistance program through CalWORKs (not CalFresh as you asked) has several components: 1. Temporary HA: Up to 16 days of motel vouchers 2. Permanent HA: Move-in costs (security deposit + first month's rent) You MUST have a child in the home or be pregnant to qualify. For a family of 2 in 2025, your gross monthly income needs to be under approximately $2,585 to qualify. You also need to: - Be currently homeless (sleeping in vehicle, shelter, motel, etc.) - Not have more than $10,000 in resources - Be eligible for or already receiving CalWORKs - Not have received Permanent HA in the past 12 months (with exceptions) If you're homeless but don't have children, you should look into local General Assistance/Relief or rapid rehousing programs through your county's Continuum of Care. CalFresh (food stamps) doesn't have a 16-day homeless program, but you can apply for expedited CalFresh if you're homeless.

i got denied for 16 days homeless assistance because im WORKING like what kind of sense does that make??? make up ur mind california do u want us working or not

the 16 days sounds good but it SUCKS trying to find a permanent place that fast. they put us in a gross motel on the edge of town and i had no car so couldn't even look at apartments. ended up back on the street after the 16 days were up

Just to clarify since there seems to be some confusion in the comments: 1. CalFresh (food stamps) doesn't have a 16-day homeless assistance program 2. CalWORKs (cash aid) has the Homeless Assistance Program you're asking about 3. You MUST have a minor child in your care or be pregnant to qualify for CalWORKs 4. The income limit for a family of 2 (parent and child) is approximately $2,585/month for 2025 If you have a child and meet the income requirements, you can receive: - Temporary HA: Up to 16 days of motel payments - Permanent HA: Security deposit and first month's rent You should apply at your county social services office as soon as possible. Bring identification, birth certificate for your child, proof of any income, and documentation of your homeless situation. The process can be approved quickly (sometimes same-day) if you have all your documentation ready.

I hope everything went well at the county office today! Just wanted to add that if you run into any issues or delays, don't give up. Sometimes the first worker you talk to might not be fully familiar with the homeless assistance program, so don't hesitate to ask for a supervisor if needed. Also, if you get approved for the 16-day temporary assistance, use that time wisely to look for permanent housing AND apply for the permanent homeless assistance to help with move-in costs. Many people don't realize they can get both programs. Keep us updated on how it goes - rooting for you and your daughter! 🙏

Just wanted to share my recent experience since I see a lot of good info here but also some confusion. I just went through the CalWORKs homeless assistance process in January 2025 with my two kids after we got evicted. A few things I learned that might help others: 1. The income limits mentioned are correct - for my family of 3, we qualified even though I work part-time (around $2,800/month income limit for 3 people) 2. They do help with both temporary (16 days motel) AND permanent assistance (deposit + first month rent) but you have to ask for both - they don't always offer the permanent part automatically 3. Bring EVERYTHING - ID, kids' birth certificates, pay stubs, eviction notice, bank statements. The more documentation you have, the faster it goes 4. Some counties have emergency after-hours numbers for homeless assistance - ask about this when you call 5. If you're denied, always ask for it in writing and the appeals process. I know someone who got approved on appeal after initial denial The whole process took about 3 days for me from application to getting the motel voucher. Now we're in a permanent place thanks to the deposit assistance. Don't lose hope if you're going through this - the program really does work when you have all your ducks in a row!