The Employment and Training Branch administers the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility for Kids (CalWORKs) Welfare to Work program on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services. Once an individual or family becomes eligible to receive CalWORKs benefits, they can receive employment assistance for supporting the family in gaining economic independence. The goal of the program is to support families through linkage with community-based services, such as child care, housing, food, utilities, clothing, medical/dental care, as well other supportive services, to aid them in locating sustainable employment or education opportunities.
Services include:
- Comprehensive case management
- Job preparation services
- Workshops
- Workplace Soft Skills Training Certificate
- Assisted job search
- Vocational assessment and job training
- Substance abuse and mental health and referrals, if needed
- Domestic violence services and referrals, if needed
- Educational assistance (up to 12 months)
- Child care
- Transportation reimbursement
- Education and employment support to pregnant and parenting teens
More information is available on the State of California CalWORKS Child Care web page.
Extended Subsidized Employment Program
CalWORKs Employment Services, Welfare to Work program, uses Expanded Subsidized Employment Services Funds, which provides up to six months of subsidized work experience for participants with local employers. In partnership with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act program, Subsidized Employment job placements are established with targeted and “in-demand” local industries. Employment Development Counselors work closely with the participant and employers to identify the employer’s needs, develop a training plan, and provide case management and job coaching to the participant to facilitate success in these employment opportunities.
Family Stabilization Program
CalWORKs Employment Services, Welfare to Work program, uses Family Stabilization funds to assist participants who are experiencing a crisis that is de-stabilizing the family, thus creating a barrier to their ability for participating in the Welfare to Work program. Services are provided to the participant and their immediate family members, allowing time to stabilize and return to full program participation.
Family Stabilization Program Eligibility Criteria:
- Must be a mandatory participant in the Welfare to Work program
- Clients must agree to meet with their Social Service Worker or Employment Development Counselor weekly and follow a family plan
- Available for up to 6 months
- Various services include interview clothing, car repairs, transportation, short-term housing
Access to Family Stabilization services is by Health and Human Services staff referral only.
Housing Support Program (HSP)
CalWORKs Employment Services, Welfare to Work program, administers funding to provide permanent housing to Marin County families experiencing homelessness who receive CalWORKs benefits.
HSP assists in placing participating families experiencing homelessness directly into permanent housing and connecting them to services that will support their movement towards economic self-sufficiency. HSP may cover rental assistance, security deposits, moving assistance, and rental application assistance for eligible participating families experiencing homelessness.
HSP provides security deposits and up to one month of rental costs, plus support services to help families reach self-sufficiency. Families may be eligible for additional support based on their level of need.
Housing Support Program Eligibility Criteria:
- Recipient of a CalWORKs grant
- Case must be approved. Referrals with CalWORKs program status as “pending” should not be approved.
- Marin County Resident
- Case must be aided in the County of Marin. Referrals where the CalWORKs case is active in a different county will not be approved, until the inter county transfer (ICT) is complete.
- Meets the revised U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) definition for Homeless Status with the priority on families who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence followed by those who will imminently lose their primary nighttime residence.
For HSP, either:
1. Lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence meaning:
- Residing in a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport or camping ground; or
- Having a primary nighttime residence that is a supervised publicly or privately-operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations, including shelters, transitional housing, hotels/motels paid for by charitable organizations or fed/state/local government programs; or
- Residing in or exited an institution, where they resided for 90 days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution and there are no other resources available (community organizations, etc); or
2.) At IMMINENT risk of losing primary nighttime residence
- Within 14 days (of the date of application for HSP), and
- No subsequent residence has been identified, and
- There are no other resources (community organizations, etc) available.
3. In receipt of a judgment for eviction, as ordered by a court
4. Any individual fleeing, or attempting to flee; domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions that relate to violence against the individual or a family member, including a child.
- Violence has either taken place within the individual's primary nighttime residence or has made the individual afraid to return to their primary nighttime residence, and
- Has no other residence, and
- Lacks the resources or support networks, i.e., family, friends, faith-based, or other social networks, to obtain other permanent housing.
5. Unaccompanied youth under 25 years of age, or families with children and youth who do not otherwise qualify as homeless under this definition, but who:
- Are defined as homeless under Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, Violence Against Women Act of 1994 or McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act;
- Have not had a lease, ownership interest, or occupancy agreement in permanent housing at any time during the 60 days prior to date of HSP application.
- Have experienced persistent instability as measure by two moves or more during the 60-day-period immediately prior to date of applying for HSP.
