1. What do I do if I suspect child abuse or neglect?
Call our 24-hour hotline number (805) 781-KIDS (5437) or 1-(800) 834-5437.
2. What do I do if I suspect elder abuse or neglect?
Call Adult Services at (805) 781-1790. Office hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 am-5:00 pm. If you need to report an emergency during off hours please call 9-1-1. If you need to call after business hours, on weekends or holidays, please call (800) 838-1381.
3. Who do I contact for assistance with domestic violence issues?
Call the following organizations:
If you are in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.
SLO Hotline 549-4499 or 1 (800) 549-4499 24-hours
National Domestic Violence Hotline 1 (800) 799-SAFE
North County Women's Shelter & Resource Center: (805) 461-1338
Women's Shelter Program Central & So. County (805) 781-6400
Women's Resource Center (805) 544-9313
Shelter Services for Women (805) 925-2160 in Santa Maria
Rape Crisis Center (805) 545-8888
Victim/Witness Assistance Center (805) 781-5821
4. Who do I contact if I am interested in becoming a licensed foster parent?
For information on becoming a licensed foster parent please call (805) 781-1705.
5. Who do I contact if I am interested in adoption services?
For information on available adoption services please call (805) 781-1705.
6. How do I obtain child support collection services?
Call the Department of Child Support Services at (805) 781-5734.
7. Who do I contact to report suspected welfare fraud?
Call the Special Investigation Unit at (805) 781-1893.
8. How do I obtain copies of the California Department of Social Services' regulations?
Contact the California Department of Social Services warehouse at (916) 371-1974. If you would like to review them, you may want to check the State website to get a copy at: http://www.dss.cahwnet.gov/ord/default.htm
9. How do I file a complaint or make an inquiry as a welfare applicant/recipient?
Call San Luis Obispo County Department of Social Services at (805) 781-1874. You may also call the California Department of Social Services Public Inquiry and Response Unit at (800) 952-5253. All participant information is confidential without a signed release from the participant/client.
10. Would I be eligible for child care benefits if I transitioned off of cash assistance?
Yes. Child care benefits may be provided to assist a family in retaining employment for up to two years after the family leaves the CalWORKs program. For more information contact your local Social Services office or the California Department of Social Services at: 1 (800) 998-9114.
11. How do I find out how to select a good child care provider in my area?
Call EOC Child Care Resource Connection (CCRC) at (805) 541-2272, or you can call any of its representatives co-located within the Department of Social Services offices:
San Luis Obispo (805) 781-1663
Paso Robles (805) 226-3239
Atascadero (805) 461-6243
Grover Beach (805) 474-7409
12. What is Trustline?
Trustline is a registry that checks through the Department of Justice, the California Criminal History file and the Child Abuse Central Index, to see if a license-exempt child care provider has a record of criminal convictions or substantiated reports of child abuse. Applicants for Trustline have been denied registry for some of the following reasons: murder, assault, neglect, sexual or physical abuse, etc.
13. What is CalWORKs?
The California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program is the State implementation of the Federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. It provides time-limited cash assistance to families with children. CalWORKs recipients are automatically eligible for Medi-Cal, and may qualify for Food Stamps benefits. Adults in the program are required to participate in a work activity unless determined exempt.
14. What must I do to get cash aid?
You must give the county facts and proof to show you are eligible for CalWORKs. Your facts are computer matched with facts from tax, employment, the Social Security Administration, and other agency records. Differences in facts may be checked out with employers, banks, and others. Also you must cooperate with the county, state and federal staff. You may not get benefits or your benefits may be stopped if you do not cooperate.
15. Who is eligible for cash aid?
Children and their caregivers may be eligible if:
Either parent is deceased;
Either parent is physically or mentally incapacitated;
The principal earner is unemployed;
Either parent is absent.
Families must also meet income and property eligibility criteria.
16. How much aid can I received?
The amount of cash aid a family receives varies by the number of family members and income.
17. Are there time limits for receiving cash aid?
Adults under the CalWORKs program are limited to receiving cash benefits for a lifetime cumulative period of 60 months.
18. Can I receive aid from other programs and still receive CalFresh (formely knows as Food Stamps)?
Yes. In California, usually two-thirds of the CalFresh households also receive cash aid from other public assistance programs. There is a restriction that a household cannot participate simultaneously in the CalFresh Program and the Emergency Food Assistance Program. Also, in California, Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) Program recipients do not qualify for Food Stamps.
19. Can a homeless person receive CalFresh (formely knows as Food Stamps)?
Yes. A person must reside in the county in which an application is filed. Residence in a permanent dwelling or a fixed mailing address is not required.
20. Does everyone living in my home have to get CalFresh (formely knows as Food Stamps)?
No. CalFresh rules allow for separate households. If you are living with other persons that are not part of your immediate family, you can apply to yourself and your family. Children, up to age 22, cannot be considered a separate household from their parents in the home.
21. Does everyone in my home have to be a U.S. citizen to get CalFresh?
No. United States citizens and some aliens admitted for permanent residency may qualify for CalFresh. Those in the county illegally do not qualify, but the citizen or legal resident family members of an illegal alien may still get CalFresh, even if the illegal alien is in the home. Illegal aliens in the home are not reported to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
22. What is EBT?
In March of 2003, San Luis Obispo County implemented the use of an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card in lien of the old Food Stamp Coupons.
23. What is Cal-Learn?
Cal-Learn is a program designed for pregnant and parenting teens receiving CalWORKs benefits to help them stay in or return to school and obtain a high school diploma or equivalent degree. Each teen in Cal-Learn is assigned a case manager to help them identify issues and help them obtain services if necessary. Teens in the program are eligible for bonuses or sanctions (financial incentives or disincentives) based on report card grades. Cal-Learn also helps with child care, transportation expenses and certain educational expenses.
24. What happens when I am in Cal-Learn and graduate from high school?
If you earn your high school diploma or equivalent while you are participating in the Cal-Learn Program, you will receive a $500 graduation bonus. You will no longer be eligible for Cal-Learn once you graduate; however, you will be expected to participate in Welfare-to-Work activities and will be eligible for supportive services based on your assigned activity.
25. What is the Healthy Families Program?
Healthy Families Program is a low-cost health coverage program for children ages 0 through 19. A new program will be implemented in the near future that will allow the parents of these children to also participate in this program. There are different health plans for different areas.
26. What is the Access for Infants and Mothers (AIM) Program?
The Access for Infants and Mothers (AIM) program provides health care to uninsured pregnant women whose income is too high to qualify for no-cost Medi-Cal. To qualify for AIM, you must be less than 30 weeks pregnant when you apply. For more information and an application, call 1 (800) 433-2611.