Measure Description
The California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids program (CalWORKS) is the state’s county-administered version of the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.
This measure represents the number of CalWORKs cases that have received cash assistance during the month for which the data is reported.
- Calculation methodology: This measure represents the number of cases that are paid cash assistance during the month for which data has been reported. These cases are tracked and reported using CalWIN, an administrative database used in 18 California counties.
- Metric type: Citywide Indicator
- Department: Safety net service caseloads are Citywide indicators of need and utilization of services. These programs and caseload data are administered and tracked by San Francisco's Human Services Agency.
CalWORKs Active Caseload
Why this Measure is Important
CalWORKS provides cash aid and social services to low-income families with children. Household heads receive financial aid and services including:
- Job search and preparation
- Vocational assessment
- Subsidized employment
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI) advocacy
- Housing support
- Behavioral health services
- Subsidized child care
- Transportation assistance
CalWORKs families also receive CalFresh and Medi-Cal. Once a parent obtains employment and no longer qualifies for financial aid, CalWORKs can still provide post-employment services to help with job retention and further job skill development. Additionally, CalWORKs continues to provide financial assistance to children whose parents’ income off of the program does not achieve self-sufficiency.
Data Notes and Sources
This measure represents the number of CalWORKs cases that have received cash assistance (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) during the month for which the data is reported. The data source is California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Information Network (CalWIN), an administrative database used in 18 California counties.
The monthly numbers presented here are point-in-time counts of the active caseload for each program.
The number displayed on the scorecard page represents a fiscal year average of CalWORKS active cases shown in the chart above.
Data lag time: One month
Visit DataSF to access the scorecard data.
Additional Information
Visit the Human Services Agency's website to apply for CalWORKs benefits and learn about the program.
City Performance Scorecards
This page is part of the City Performance Scorecards.