DATA STORY

CAAP Active Caseload

Number of San Francisco residents utilizing CAAP services

Measure Description

County Adult Assistance Programs (CAAP) provides short-term financial support and social services to very low-income San Franciscans with no dependent children. This measure counts the number of households that receive cash assistance from CAAP during the month for which data has been reported and serves as a demand indicator. 

The San Francisco Human Services Agency administers and tracks CAAP services. 

Why this Measure is Important

Reporting on the CAAP Active Caseload provides the public, elected officials, and City staff with a current snapshot of the demand for San Francisco safety net services. 

CAAP consists of four sub-programs

General Assistance (GA) is the safety net program for low-income adults. A cash grant is provided to applicants who reside in San Francisco and qualify because of low- or no- income.

Personal Assisted Employment Services (PAES) provides adults seeking employment with education, training, and supportive services necessary to gain employment and become self-sufficient. PAES operates like CalWORKs but targets single adults without children.

Cash Assistance Linked to Medi-Cal (CALM) provides financial assistance to individuals who are currently receiving Medi-Cal benefits because they are either aged or disabled, but do not currently qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants.

Supplemental Security Income Pending (SSIP) provides cash assistance to elderly and disabled adults who are in the process of applying for SSI assistance from the federal government.

The interactive chart below presents the City’s CAAP Active Caseload. 

The chart’s legend is below: 

  • Y-axis: CAAP Active Caseload
  • X-Axis: Calendar year

CAAP Active Caseload

How Performance is Measured

The CAAP Active Caseload is calculated using the following methodology:

Number of distinct cases that are paid cash assistance during the month. Each case is a household.

The number displayed on the scorecard page represents a fiscal year average of CAAP active cases shown in the chart above.

Data Notes and Sources

All CAAP cases are tracked and reported using CalSAWS, an administrative eligibility case management system used statewide.

Prior to October 30, 2023, cases were tracked and reported using CalWIN, an administrative database used in 18 California counties before the statewide transition to CalSAWS.

Data lag time: CAAP Active Caseloads are reported with a two-month lag. For example, May’s data will be available in July. 

Visit DataSF to access the scorecard data.

Additional Information

Visit the Human Services Agency's County Adult Assistance Programs (CAAP) website to apply for benefits and learn about programs.

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