California Assistance Programs

Assistance and grants are available in all cities and counties throughout California, including Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco. In addition to the state programs below, find organizations and charities in California that can provide help with paying bills.

Assistance Programs

Community Services & Development (CSD) is a department of the California Health and Human Services Agency. The CSD department manages various federal programs that help lower income families both achieve and also maintain self-sufficiency, help them with paying their home energy bills, and also aid them in finding and residing in housing that is free from the dangers of lead hazards. In addition, CSD administers a state-funded Naturalization Services Program that will assist legal permanent residents to obtain citizenship. Programs offered include :

• Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)
• The Community Services Block Grant program was created to help provide a range of services to assist low-income families and people in attaining the knowledge, skills, and motivation that is necessary to achieve self-sufficiency. This program will also provides low-income people with immediate life necessities such as shelter, food, and health care needs, etc.
• Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Weatherization Assistance Program, Reduced Rate Programs
• The California State Department of Community Services & Development also administers these various energy and utility bill saving programs. These programs will provide direct help with paying utility and heating bills, help lower your energy bills, and other aid. Find additional ways to get help with utility bills.

Healthy Families
A low-cost health insurance program for families with children up to the age of 19. Low-cost monthly premiums range from about $4-$15/month. 

Operation Access (OA)
Provides diagnosis, free evaluation, and surgical operations for the uninsured and low income. Medical procedures are performed by volunteer doctors and medical staff at participating hospitals.

Homeowner Assistance Program
This program allows a once-a-year payment from the State of California to eligible individuals. The maximum amount of assistance that a homeowner in California may receive is $472.60. You must be 62 years of age or older, disabled, blind, and also meet income thresholds in order to receive aid.

Renter Assistance Program
This program for renters allows a once-a-year payment or grant from the State of California to qualified families and individuals. The maximum amount of help that a claimant may receive is $347.50. Applicants must be 62 years of age or older, blind, or disabled and also meet income thresholds in order to receive any help. Find additional rent assistance.

Help With Water Bills
This program is offered to homeowners in Northern California, and low and moderate income households are eligible for a discount on their monthly water bills. Learn more.

California Homebuyer's Downpayment Assistance Program (CHDAP)
The California Housing Finance Agency has a strong understanding of how much many people want to own their  first home. They also realize how difficult that can be to do. That is why this program offers low interest rate first mortgage programs and also a variety of down payment assistance programs to eligible first-time home buyers.

Assistance With Medical Debt Collectors and Charity Health Care
The state of California has created laws that protect patients from aggressive and illegal debt collection efforts.  The state also ensure that families and individuals get access to free medical care. Read more.

California Mortgage Help and Foreclosure Aid
California also has an assistance program that can help you prevent a foreclosure, and to get help with your mortgage. More.

Legal Assistance
Several non-profit law firms provide low income, senior citizens, and other qualified individuals with free legal assistance and counsel. Learn more.

California Department of Social Services
The California Department of Social Services offers numerous grants and assistance programs to state residents. Some of the aid offered includes :

• Cash aid programs
• These are for low income families that help them meet their basic needs. It will also provide employment, education, and training programs to help families get jobs and move towards self-sufficiency. Transportation, child care, work expenses and counseling are also available for families in work activities. Cash aid is available in some form or another for families and caretakers with children, adults, seniors, disabled, children and adults
• Food Stamp Program, Women Infants and Children (WIC) program, and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP)
• These are programs that helps lower income people buy the food they need for good health and nutrition, provides emergency food supplies to low-income individuals and households, and help pregnant mothers and newborn kids.
• CalWORKs Child Care
• This program helps a family transition from immediate, short-term child care needs to the more stable, long-term child care that is absolutely necessary for the family to leave (and remain off) state aid.
• Cal-Learn
• This assistance program helps parenting and pregnant teens attend and graduate from high school or its equivalent. Payments for necessary child care are also included with this assistance.
• Medi-Cal
• Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid health care program. This program helps pay for a variety of medical services for both adults and children if they have with limited income and resources.
• CalWORKs Program
• CalWORKS helps its California residents prepare for employment. Services provide include transportation, child care, and work-related or training-related expenses are provided.

Free or Discounted Health Care
The state of California has about 800 clinics throughout the state that offer either free or discounted health care. They offer a wide variety of medical services to residents. Learn more.

Child Care Assistance Programs
Three versions of this program provide subsidized child care services to eligible families in California. The three programs are CalWORKs, Alternative Payment, and Child Protective Services. CalWORKs helps families who are in transition off of cash aid/welfare assistance and grants. The Alternative Payment Program helps pay for child care expenses for families while the parents work, attend school or college, seek work, attend school, or while they seek permanent housing in California. Child Protective Services pays for child care for children who are in a neglectful household or living situation.

Assistance From California Cities and Counties

Alameda County (Oakland)

Berkeley

Butte County (Oroville)

Contra Costa County (Martinez)

El Dorado (Placerville)

Fresno County

Glendale

Glenn County (Willows)

Kern County (Bakersfield)

Lake County (Lakeport)

Long Beach

Los Angeles

Madera County

Marin County (San Rafael)

Mendocino County (Ukiah)

Merced County

Monterey County (Salinas)

Moreno Valley

Napa County

Nevada County (Nevada City)

Orange County (Santa Ana)

Oroville

Placer County (Auburn)

Pleasanton

Riverside County

Sacramento County

San Bernardino

San Diego County

San Gabriel Valley communities

San Francisco

San Joaquin County (Stockton)

San Luis Obispo County

San Mateo County (Redwood City)

Santa Barbara County (Santa Maria)

Santa Clara County (San Jose)

Santa Clarita

Santa Cruz

Santa Monica

Shasta County (Redding)

Solano County (Fairfield)

Sonoma County (Santa Rosa)

Stanislaus County (Modesto)

Tehama County (Red Bluff)

Tulare County (Visalia)

Ventura County

Yolo County (Woodland)

California Electric Bill Assistance

Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP)
Provides assistance paying utility bills to households that are in a electric or heating bill crisis situation. Examples of help provided include a household that has received a 24- or 48-hour service termination or disconnect notice by their utility company, if they have an energy-related crisis of life-threatening emergency, aid can be provided.

Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
Provides a direct grant payment to an eligible client’s utility or heating bill to help offset the cost of cooling or heating their home.

California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE)
This assistance program provides eligible customers with a 20 percent discount on their electric and natural gas bills. It is offered by all utility companies.

Low-Income Energy Efficiency (LIEE)
A program offered by all gas and electric utility companies to help with heating, cooling, and utility bills. It is an energy saving program, and services offered for qualified customers may include energy efficient furnaces, attic insulation, weatherstripping, energy efficient refrigerators, caulking, low-flow showerheads and toilets, water heater blankets, and building and door envelope repairs, which will help reduce air infiltration.

Free Appliances From Southern California Edison
The Energy Management Assistance (EMA) program provides customers with weatherization services, free energy-efficient appliances, air conditioners, pool pumps, lighting, and other efficiency measures for low and moderate  renters and homeowners.