Department of Social Services (CDSS)

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Description

The mission of the California Department of Social Services is to serve, aid, and protect needy and vulnerable children and adults in ways that strengthen and preserve families, encourage personal responsibility, and foster independence. CDSS is comprised of more than 4,200 employees who are responsible for the oversight and administration of programs serving California's most vulnerable residents.


Services

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

The Federal and California Earned Income Tax Credits (EITCs) are special tax breaks for people who work part time or full time. If you have work income, you can file and claim your EITC refunds, even if you don’t owe any income tax.

Launch service: Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

Find Assisted Living

Find Assisted Living Facilities and Services, such as adult residential and daycare, elderly assisted living, child care, residential care for children, and home care organizations.

Launch service: Find Assisted Living

Find Child Care

Find Child Care Services via the Department of Social Services website. Select your desired facility type and one of the following: street, city, zip code, county. Or, you can search via facility number.

Launch service: Find Child Care

Find e-Benefits in Your County

This site connects you to applications for Medi-Cal, County Medical Services Program (CMSP), CalFresh (formerly known as Food Stamps) and California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) benefits in California.

Launch service: Find e-Benefits in Your County

Find Foster Care

Find Foster Care Services via the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) website. Select "Foster Family Agencies" on the CDSS website to begin.

Launch service: Find Foster Care

Find Refugee Services

Find information about services offered to refugees. You can find places to learn English, get jobs and training, and learn about education, citizenship, and legal help.

Launch service: Find Refugee Services

Food stamps

The CalFresh program helps to improve the health and well-being of qualified households and individuals by providing them a means to meet their nutritional needs.

Launch service: Food stamps

Get Citizenship Services

Get access to citizenship services via the Department of Social Services website. Citizenship services can include information on eligibility requirements and application assistance with the naturalization application. Knowledgeable service providers exist throughout California; select your region to find a provider near you.

Launch service: Get Citizenship Services

Get DACA Legal Help

Find immigration legal services for DACA via the Department of Social Services website. There are service providers throughout California.

Launch service: Get DACA Legal Help

Get Legal Help

Find immigration legal services via the Department of Social Services website. Legal help can include application assistance with the Naturalization application and other USCIS forms. Service providers exist throughout California; select your region to find a provider near you.

Launch service: Get Legal Help

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I see more detail about a facility?

Select "view" to see additional information about the facility. 

Why do I keep getting no results?

We may have no facilities in the search criteria you selected. We recommend you add fewer search variables or even select just the facility type and then filter your search on this page using the filter function on top.

Why do some facility names look strange or cut off?

Facility names may appear as abbreviated due to the limited number of characters allowed in the system for this information.

Where can I find eligibility requirements for naturalization?

Eligibility requirements are listed on the CDSS website at the following link:

Naturalization Eligibility