1. Butte County Department of Employment and Social Services
Safety Net Services for Individuals and Families Who are Homeless or at Risk of Homelessness 2015
Cathi Grams, Director
Butte County Department of
Employment and Social Services

2. Butte County Department of Employment and Social Services
The Butte County Department of Employment and Social Services (DESS) administers a variety of State, Federal, and County mandated programs to assist low-income eligible adults, families, and transition age youth to secure food, shelter, medical care and employment services.

3. Types of Funding and Assistance
Supportive Services Directed at Maintaining Housing
Direct Housing Assistance

4. California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs)
Time-limited monthly cash assistance and employment services to eligible CalWORKs households with minor children who require temporary assistance due to parental absence, unemployment or under-employment.
Amount spent in Calendar Year $19.7 Million
Average number of monthly participants: 7,400

5. CalWORKs “Once in a Lifetime” Homeless Assistance
Eligible households who receive CalWORKs cash assistance may receive Temporary Housing (up to 16 days of shelter) or Permanent Housing to assist with security and utility deposits.
CalWORKs Homeless Assistance spent in 2015: $202,382

6. CalWORKs Housing Support Program (HSP)
Eligible households who receive CalWORKs may receive housing support, case management and rental subsidies for up to six months.
This is a new program with an allocation of $575,000 from January through June of 2016.

7. Transitional Age Youth
California Fostering Connections to Success Act (2012) allowed for foster care for eligible youth to extend beyond 18 to age 21.
Housing and Supportive Services are provided to 81 youth per month.
Transitional Housing Placement Program provides housing and supportive services for foster youth ages for up to 36 months to 25 youth per month.

8. General Assistance
Time limited cash “loan” program for adults who have little to no income or resources and do not qualify for any other cash payment.
Average number of participants: 550
Amount Spent in 2015: $1.6 million

9. CalFRESH (Formerly known as Food Stamps)
Eligible individuals receive monthly electronic benefits to purchase food items. The program helps to improve the health and well-being of qualified individuals by providing them a means to meet their nutritional needs.
Average number of participants: 32,200
Benefits issued in 2015: $53.6 Million

10. Medi-Cal
Health insurance program to provide Health Care Services for low-income families, children, pregnant women, seniors, persons with disabilities, and adults without children.
Average number of monthly participants: 59,800

11. Veteran’s Service Office
Primary responsibility is to assist Veterans with filing for eligible benefits.
In fiscal year , the amount of new or increased monetary benefits paid to eligible Butte County Veterans by the Federal Government attributable to the assistance of County Veteran’s Service Office was $11,968,752
Number of Veterans and Families served: 5,374
Number of claims filed: 4,441

12. Butte County Department of Employment and Social Services
Total for all assistance and supportive services: $87,646,134