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We are the County Welfare Directors Association of California. We are a nonprofit association representing the human service directors from each of California’s 58 counties.

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CWDA Condemns Trump Administration “Public Charge” Rule Change
This rule change will harm low-income families and individuals that are eligible for assistance.

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Immigration Resources for Counties
This page includes tools and resources for county human services agencies relating to immigration, health care and public benefits under current law. 

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From Our Partners: Child Poverty in California
Without the social safety net, over 35% of children in California would be living in poverty. Read the full PPIC report.

Hot Topics

Hot topic Immigration Megan Gamble

CWDA Stands with Governor Newsom and Attorney General Becerra in Opposition to Public Charge Rule
Trump Administration's "public charge" rule change will hurt thousands of California immigrants and their families that are eligible for public benefits.

Hot topic Trauma-Informed Care

Screening Kids from Birth to Age 5 for Trauma
New report by ChildrenNow highlights the importance of screening young children for trauma and includes recommendations for California to implement trauma screenings and utilize trauma-informed care.

Hot topic Immigration

Counties Work to Ease Client Concerns
State and federal laws are still in effect that entitle clients to health care coverage and assistance that they are eligible to receive. Find resources for Counties assisting clients from immigrant communities seeking further guidance here.

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News & Updates

Recent News

Video Cathy Senderling-McDonald Megan Gamble Megan Gamble

CWDA Stands with Governor Newsom and Attorney General Becerra Against Public Charge Rule Change
Deputy Director Cathy Senderling-McDonald represented CWDA during a press conference announcing California's lawsuit against the Trump Administration's changes to "Public Charge".

CWDA Stands with Governor Newsom and Attorney General Becerra Against Public Charge Rule Change

August 16, 2019

This change to long-standing immigration law will hurt California’s  immigrant population, especially those trying to make ends meet, by instilling a real fear of using public assistance programs that they are eligible for and need. CWDA stands opposed to this rule change and is engaging with our state and advocacy partners in their efforts to stop this policy from going forward. 

Press release Cathy Senderling-McDonald Megan Gamble

CWDA Condemns “Public Charge” Rule Change Announced by the Trump Administration

The County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) condemned the Trump Administration’s final rule announced today that will change long-standing rules about legal immigrants’ use of public benefit programs. These “public charge” rules, which were released earlier in the year in draft form and drew more than 210,000 sets of comments from organizations and individuals across the country, including CWDA, will be published Wednesday in final form in the Federal Register.

Press release Cathy Senderling-McDonald

CWDA Opposes Trump Administration’s Proposed Rule Change for SNAP Food Benefit Recipients
The proposal seeks to force thousands of California’s most vulnerable off the CalFresh program and will increase bureaucracy

SACRAMENTO –The proposal put forth today by the Trump Administration would end the streamlined process that California and dozens of other states have opted into, which allows us to deem low-income families that meet certain qualifications, such as CalWORKs participation, automatically eligible for CalFresh food assistance, also known as SNAP federally.

Coalition Work

CWDA joins Western Center on Law & Poverty, CA Association of Food Banks, and other food advocates in opposition to Trump Administration’s proposed changes to SNAP rules

The rule targets low-income families by seeking to end a long-standing and widely adopted rule that eases the application & retention burden for families that qualify for other federal benefits, like CalWORKs in California, for SNAP benefits – reducing hunger for millions of Americans.

Download the joint statement

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Blog Posts

Blog post Diana Boyer

Bringing Families Home Success Stories

This June, funding for the Bringing Families Home (BFH) program is set to end given its one-time, demonstration status. Bringing Families Home provides housing assistance and support for families involved in the child welfare system. Too many families that could safely stay together languish in foster care solely because of their inability to obtain safe and affordable housing; Bringing Families Home is the answer for these families.

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