DPSS administers programs that provide services to individuals and families in need. These programs are designed to both alleviate hardship and promote family health, personal responsibility, and economic independence. Most DPSS programs are mandated by federal and State laws, and fall in the following general categories:

• Temporary financial assistance programs:

• CalWORKs provides temporary financial assistance and employment focused services to families with minor children who have income and property below State maximum limits for their family size.

• Food Stamps help eligible low-income households meet their basic nutritional needs. Individuals residing in room and board arrangements, homeless individuals in shelters, and temporary residents of a shelter for battered women and children, may also be eligible to receive Food Stamps.

• General Relief (GR) is a County-funded program that provides temporary cash aid to indigent adults and certain sponsored legal immigrant families who are ineligible for federal or State programs.

• Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) provides cash to certain aged, blind, and disabled legal non-citizens ineligible to Supplemental Security Income/State Supplemental Payment (SSI/SSP) due to their immigration status. CAPI participants may be eligible for Medi-Cal, In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), and/or Food Stamp benefits.

• Supplemental Security Income Assistance Program (SSIAP), implemented in June 1992, assists physically and mentally disabled General Relief participants with the initial SSI application process. SSIAP focuses on obtaining an early SSI approval for GR participants who appear to meet SSI eligibility criteria.

• Employment programs for low-income residents to promote self-sufficiency and independence:

  • LA GAIN helps CalWORKs participants prepare for and find employment. Services include job finding workshops, supervised job search, vocational assessment, remedial education, vocational skills training, and work experience. Post employment services are also available to help employed participant retain their jobs, work toward a better one, and ultimately move to financial independence. GAIN also offers help with transportation, child care, special job-related expenses such as uniform and tools, as well as domestic violence, substance abuse and mental health counseling.

  • GROW provides employment and training services to help employable General Relief (GR) participants obtain jobs and achieve self-sufficiency. Participants are assigned to a GROW Case Management (GCM) who will work with them to achieve their employment goals.
    
    

  • L A LINK brings businesses and skilled individuals together. Whether you're a business seeking staffing solutions or an individual searching for a rewarding job opportunity, we have the dedication, experience and skills to meet your individual needs.

  Free and low-cost health care programs and services:

  • Medi-Cal provides comprehensive medical benefits to low-income families with children, pregnant women, and adults who are over 65, blind, or disabled. Depending on their income and resource levels, individuals and families may be eligible to a no-cost or a share-of-cost Medi-Cal program. CalWORKs families receive no-cost Medi-Cal.
    
    
  • Other Health Care Programs are available for families that cannot afford all or part of their health care needs. DPSS accepts Medi-Cal applications and makes referrals for the following programs and services:
    
    
  • Healthy Families
  • Child Health and Disability Program (CHDP)
  • Access for Infants and Mother (AIM)
  • Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
  • California Children Services (CCS)
  • California Kids

  
  

• In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) enables low-income elderly, disabled or blind individuals to remain safely at home by providing funds for in-home personal care and domestic services. IHSS participants are automatically eligible to no-cost Medi-Cal.

• Special programs and services:

  • Emergency Management As one of eight lead disaster-response County departments, DPSS is responsible for the care and shelter of disaster victims in collaboration with food banks and other emergency food and human services agencies. The Department maintains an emergency response system to alert, mobilize, and assign personnel on a 24-hour basis to respond to calls from the Sheriff, Chief Administrative Officer, or American Red Cross.

  • Welfare Fraud Prevention and Investigation The Department has three 24-Hour Fraud Hotlines available to the residents of Los Angeles County to make immediate and anonymous reports of any kind of fraud, including welfare fraud. DPSS' Welfare Fraud Prevention and Investigation (WFP&I) Section investigates allegations of welfare fraud, determines the amount of and seeks restitution for fraudulent cash overpayments and Food Stamp over issuances.

  • Toy Loan is a free service that lends toys to children from 40Toy Loan Centers in the same manner in which they borrow books from the public library. It is a voluntary community effort sponsored by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and DPSS. Toy Loan Centers are located throughout Los Angeles County.

  • Volunteer Services provides volunteer and special programs designed to recruit volunteers and develop resources and programs geared to enhance and supplement services to the Departments client's county wide