CalWORKs Policy - Department of Public Social Services

Evaluating Shared Housing and Temporary
Housing
To help differentiate between shared and temporary
housing, the EW should ask the applicant/participant
if his/her name is on the rental/lease agreement
and/or on one or more of the following:
The utility bill (i.e., gas, electric, etc.).
The telephone bill or in the telephone directory.
Answers to the following questions must be weighed:
1. How long have you lived at this address?
2. How many bedrooms are in the house/apartment
and how many people were living there before you
and your family moved in?
3. Does the landlord know you live there?
EXAMPLE 1
A parent and two children (Family A) move in with
Family B. Family A has made arrangements to pay
the utility bills but the family is not included in the
lease/rental agreement. This is considered a
temporary situation because even though the family
pays all of the utilities, they are not included in the
rental/lease agreement.
EXAMPLE 2
A parent and two children (Family A) move in with
Family B. Both families are included in the
rental/lease agreement. Family A has agreed to pay
all of the utilities. This is considered a “shared”
housing situation because both families are included
in the lease/rental agreement.
Are “pending” AU members allowed to receive
homeless assistance?
Yes. AU members “pending” to be added to the AU
(e.g., the first of the next month or following quarter)
are eligible to receive HA. The pending AU members
are to be included when determining the amount of
the temporary HA payment.