Will CalFresh help with rental deposit if moving to a different county?

You need to apply in the county where you'll be living. Each county handles their own housing assistance programs, and most won't help with deposits outside their jurisdiction. The good news is you don't have to physically be there to apply - you can submit applications online through BenefitsCal for the new county and explain your situation.

It's actually more complicated than just applying to the new county. If you're receiving CalFresh homeless assistance through HDAP (Housing Disability Advocacy Program) or HSP (Housing Support Program), those can sometimes work across county lines. But general CalFresh doesn't directly pay deposits - it's usually through these special programs. What specific assistance program are you currently working with in your current county?

I went thru this exact thing last year!! My current county refused to help with deposit in another county. Had to apply to new county but they wouldn't help until I had an address there. Total catch-22!! Ended up borrowing $ from family. The whole system is broken. Good luck!

To clarify, CalFresh itself doesn't provide rental deposits - those come from county-specific programs like HSP, HDAP, or General Assistance. The rules for cross-county moves vary. Your best approach is to: 1. Contact the social services department in the NEW county and ask specifically about their homeless assistance programs for people relocating from other counties 2. Get everything in writing about what they can provide 3. Ask about emergency housing vouchers as an alternative 4. Request an inter-county transfer of your existing CalFresh case once you move Keep documentation of all contacts with both counties. Remember that once you move, you'll need to report your address change within 10 days for your CalFresh benefits.

Try calling Claimyr.com to get through to the new county office faster - saved me HOURS of waiting when I needed to apply for emergency benefits. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. I needed to speak to an actual human for a complicated situation like yours and they got me through in minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. The automated systems are useless for situations that don't fit neatly into categories.

jsut FYI calfresh is strickly for food ONLY!!! they dont help with rent or deposit or anything like that AT ALL. you need to be asking about calworks or some other program maybe...

I had this situation after the wildfires when I had to move counties. The new county CAN help you but you need documentation from your current homeless service provider confirming your status. Get a formal letter, bring your new lease agreement (even if not signed), and your case number from current county. Request an emergency appointment with a housing specialist in the new county - don't just talk to regular intake staff. They can process emergency housing payments in 3-5 days if you have all documentation. Also ask about EHAP (Emergency Housing Assistance Program) which is specifically for this situation.

IMPORTANT: Make sure when you move you do an inter-county transfer form for your CalFresh rather than applying new! If you just update your address they'll process it as a new application and you could lose benefits for a month or more. The form is called ICT (Inter-County Transfer).

UPDATE: I got through to the new county's housing specialist yesterday (had to call about 12 times). They said they CAN help with my deposit through their homeless prevention program even though I'm not a resident yet! I need to bring: 1) letter from current shelter, 2) pending lease agreement, 3) my current county CalFresh documentation, and 4) proof of income. They can issue a check directly to the landlord within 5 business days. Relief!!!