Will my mom qualify for CalWORKs if she owns her home? Any consequences?

Good news! Your mom CAN qualify for CalWORKs even if she owns her home! The home she lives in is considered an exempt resource as long as she's living in it. It won't count against her resource limit for CalWORKs eligibility. As for consequences - there are NO liens placed on property for receiving CalWORKs Cash Aid. You might be thinking of Medi-Cal's estate recovery program, which is completely different and only applies in certain situations after someone passes away. Since your mom is applying as a non-parent caretaker relative for the grandkids, she has the option to be included or excluded from the assistance unit. If she's excluded, only the children's income and resources would be counted. If she's included, her income would count too, but the grant amount would be higher to cover her needs as well. Make sure she mentions she's the grandparent/caretaker relative on the application. The kids will qualify as a "child-only case" if she chooses not to be included in the assistance unit.

my MOM got calworks for my SISTERS kids to and she owns her house they didnt care at all about the house just needed proof the kids lived with her. they gave her like $700 for 2 kids i think?? but she did have to do the child support thing where they go after my sister for the money even tho shes in jail lol good luck!!

Yes, owning a home is completely fine for CalWORKs eligibility. The primary residence is exempt from resource limits as the previous poster mentioned. However, there are a few things your mom should know: 1. She'll need to verify her relationship to the children (birth certificates) 2. She'll need to prove she has legal care and control of the children (guardianship papers or a statement explaining the situation) 3. She'll need to cooperate with child support requirements unless she has good cause not to 4. She should bring proof of her Social Security income 5. If the children's mother (your sister) was receiving CalWORKs before incarceration, she should let them know about this change Also, make sure your mom applies for CalFresh (food stamps) at the same time if she hasn't already. And don't forget to ask about the Approved Relative Caregiver (ARC) program - in some cases, it provides higher payments than standard CalWORKs for relative caregivers. Best of luck to your family!

The county SAYS they don't count your home but they definitely make you jump through extra hoops if you own property!!! They made me provide my mortgage statement, property tax bill, and utility bills just to "verify my residence" when I applied. Took an extra 3 weeks to process my case!!! 🙄

I had a similar situation with my nieces living with me. Getting through to someone at the county office to explain the whole situation was IMPOSSIBLE. I kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. I finally used Claimyr.com to get through - they got me connected to a real person in about 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Once I actually talked to a worker, they were really helpful and explained that my home wasn't counted for eligibility. They also told me about the Approved Relative Caregiver program that someone else mentioned, which gave me more money than regular CalWORKs would have. Definitely ask about that!

dont 4get to ask about the diaper benefits too! if the 4 year old isn't fully potty trained yet u can get $30 extra per month for diapers with calworks

YOUR MOM SHOULD BE VERY CAREFUL!!!! While CalWORKs doesn't count the home as a resource, they WILL ask about all other resources on the SAWS 2 application form. If she has money in savings, retirement accounts, multiple vehicles, or other property, those DO count toward the $10,000 resource limit (increased in 2025). Make sure she discloses EVERYTHING honestly because they do check property records and bank accounts. They can come after you for fraud and overpayments if you don't disclose everything!!! I'm not trying to scare you but I've seen people get in trouble for not understanding the resource rules.

Regarding your question about child support requirements - yes, technically your mom would need to cooperate with child support services as part of receiving CalWORKs, even though your sister is incarcerated. However, there are two important things to know: 1. Your mom can request a "Good Cause" exemption from child support cooperation if pursuing it would not be in the best interest of the children or could cause harm. The incarceration situation might qualify. 2. Even if child support is pursued, they understand your sister has no income while incarcerated. It would establish the order for when she's released, but wouldn't create immediate debt she can't pay. The temporary guardianship papers will definitely help with the application process. Make sure your mom brings those along with the children's birth certificates, her ID, and proof of her Social Security income. For the Approved Relative Caregiver (ARC) program, she should specifically ask about it during her interview. It's not automatically offered in all counties.

Just wanted to add that your mom should also ask about emergency aid when she applies! Since she's caring for the kids due to your sister's sudden incarceration, she might qualify for immediate temporary assistance while her regular CalWORKs application is being processed. This can help with urgent needs like food, utilities, or clothing for the kids. Also, when she goes to her interview, she should bring any documentation about your sister's incarceration if she has it (like court papers or jail records). This will help establish the timeline and circumstances that led to her taking care of the children. One more tip - if your county has long wait times for interviews, she can ask about doing a phone interview instead of in-person. Many counties offer this option now and it can be much more convenient, especially when you're caring for young kids. Your mom sounds like she's doing an amazing thing taking care of her grandchildren during this difficult time. The system is designed to help families like yours!

I just wanted to share some encouragement - your mom is in a really good position to get approved! Home ownership is absolutely not a barrier for CalWORKs, and grandparents caring for grandchildren is exactly the type of situation the program is designed to support. A few practical tips for the application process: - Apply online at GetCalFresh.org or YourBenefitsNow.org to avoid long office waits - Make copies of all documents before submitting them - Keep a record of when she submits the application - CalWORKs has 30 days to process it - If approved, benefits are retroactive to the application date Also, don't forget about other programs she might qualify for: - CalFresh (food stamps) - separate application but can be done at the same time - Medi-Cal for the kids if they don't already have it - WIC if either child is under 5 (which the 4-year-old is) - Utilities assistance through LIHEAP Your mom is doing something incredible taking in those kids during such a difficult time. The community resources are there to help families exactly like yours navigate these challenges. Wishing you all the best with the application process!