CalWORKs Homeless Assistance aims to help CalWORKs families meet the reasonable costs of securing housing and serves eligible CalWORKs recipients, or apparently eligible CalWORKs applicants, who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness.

CalWORKs Homeless Assistance is granted for a continuous period of homelessness caused by specific circumstances and is available once every 12-months starting from the day the first payment is issued unless the recipient has a verified exception.

Eligible families can apply for CalWORKs Homeless Assistance by simply contacting your Human Service Technician or visiting any DHS office.

CalWORKs Housing Support Program, administered by The Open Door Network, provides housing stability and assists in securing and maintaining permanent housing for CalWORKs families experiencing, or at- risk of, homelessness without preconditions.

CalWORKs Housing Support Program offers financial assistance and housing-related wraparound supportive services, including but not limited to: rental assistance, housing navigation, case management, security deposits, utility payments, moving costs, interim shelter assistance, legal services, and credit repair.

Bringing Families Home Program, administered by The Open Door Network, serves families involved with the child welfare system who are experiencing, or at risk of, experiencing homelessness to increase family reunification and to prevent foster care placement.

 Bringing Families Home offers financial assistance and housing-related wraparound supportive services, including but not limited to: rental assistance, housing navigation, case management, security deposits, utility payments, moving costs, interim shelter assistance, legal services, and credit repair.

The Housing and Disability Advocacy Program, administered through a collaboration between Flood Ministries and Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, assists people experiencing or at risk of homelessness who are likely eligible for disability benefits by providing advocacy for disability benefits as well as housing supports.

 The four core requirements of the Housing and Disability Advocacy Program include outreach, case management, disability benefits advocacy, and housing assistance.  Housing-related financial assistance and wraparound supportive services provided include but are not limited to interim shelter assistance, rental assistance, housing navigation, case management, security deposits, utility payments, moving costs, legal services, and credit repair.

As a member of the Bakersfield Kern Regional Homeless Collaborative (BKRHC), it is the goal of DHS to assist all Kern County communities in ending homelessness by providing a clear and systematic pattern for helping individuals to quickly access the most appropriate services available through standardized access, a standardized assessment process, and a coordinated referral (match) process.  

 All individuals and families who receive homeless or at-risk of homeless assistance through DHS will be connected with the Kern County Coordinated Entry System in an effort to identify any additional services or resources that may be available throughout the community.