Change Well Project 

Learning Lab

Learning Lab is a space for CDSS Program Leaders to gain critical knowledge, skills, and resources focused on helping you effectively manage and scale housing and homelessness programs. During each Learning Lab session, a subject matter expert will dive deeply into a key topic or tool, providing both essential context and practical application tips you can bring immediately to your work.

System Leaders Track Session 1: Defining a Homeless Response System

Defining a Homeless Response System is the first session of the 2022-2023 System Leaders Track Series, a five-part series dedicated to helping county leadership transition from program management to system leadership. This series is ideal for County leadership who oversee staff that administer CDSS homeless funding such as HDAP, Bringing Families Home, CalWORKs-HSP, HomeSafe and are responsible for designing their department's homelessness response.

Housing and Homelessness Division (HHD): Tribal Set-Aside Award Proposal Information Session

At this Award Proposal Information Session, HHD will present information regarding the proposed approach for awarding set-aside funds, seek feedback on the proposed approach, and respond to questions on the award process for this round of funding.

Notice of Fiscal Year 2022-23 Funding for the CalWORKs Housing Support Program, Bringing Families Home Program, HDAP and Home Safe Program

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Housing and Homelessness Division (HHD) is happy to announce the Notice of Fiscal Year 2022-23 Funding for the CalWORKs Housing Support Program (HSP), Bringing Families Home (BFH) Program, Housing and Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP), and the Home Safe Program. CDSS will be hosting a walkthrough of the All County Welfare Director’s Letter (ACWDL) and Director’s Certification requirements on Thursday October 6, 2022 from 1:30-3:00 p.m. Both continuing and prospective HSP, BFH, HDAP, and Home Safe grantees are strongly encouraged to attend the Webinar and are welcome to share with partners.

Understanding Continua of Care: Partnering to Combat Homelessness

Continua of Care play a critical role in coordinating services for those who are experiencing homelessness—and can serve as key partners to counties and tribal communities standing up CDSS-funded housing programs. But the potential of these powerful partnerships can only be realized if we speak the same language, understand each other’s roles and work toward a similar aim. This webinar will provide a brief overview of the Continuum of Care Program and HUD’s requirements for designing and operating a Continuum of Care that acts as the organizing body homeless services locally.

Monthly Office Hours for California Department of Social Services Program Leaders 

With deep experience addressing the homelessness crisis across the state, the Change Well team understands the challenges of creating and scaling programs. During Office Hours, we will provide you with the targeted information, support, and guidance you need to successfully implement your CDSS programs and meet your community’s unique needs. Please note this session of Office Hours is open to CDSS grantees and community partners, specifically any program managers and analysts responsible for designing and/or administering CDSS programs. This includes work with Bringing Families Home, CalWORKs HSP, HDAP, PRK, and Home Safe. Our team is looking forward to seeing you there!

Ask-an-Attorney for HDAP

Benefits Advocates

Join Inner City Law Center and Change Well Project for a monthly opportunity for HDAP Benefits Advocates to drop in on-line and ask an attorney your questions about Social Security rules, CAPI rules, or other HDAP-specific case questions. This is a collaborative space for experts and practitioners to work through the daily challenges of benefit advocacy. All attendees are encouraged to come with any and all questions regarding SSI, SSDI, or CAPI.

California Department of Social Services Housing and Homelessness Programs announces $17.5 Million Available in Tribal Set-Aside Funds 

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Housing and Homelessness Branch has set aside $17.5 million of match-exempt funds available to California tribes to operate programs serving community members experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. These funds are an opportunity for California Tribes to set up programs providing direct housing assistance and wraparound housing supports to community members through several targeted programs.

​

Landlord Engagement Series:

The who, what, when and how of developing a successful housing navigation and location system. 

This series of sessions will take a deep dive into a system-wide approach to landlord engagement and unit acquisition, and will provide detailed examples of how best engage and support landlords, housing program participants. You will complete this series with the necessary tools to implement a systemic approach to working with landlords in your community and increasing your community housing stock. 

Monetizing Your Rehousing Investment: Performance Budgeting for System Leaders

Increased investment in funding to address homelessness in California has created an opportunity for counties to play a more significant role as system leaders in their local homelessness response networks. New funding creates exciting opportunities to help more vulnerable community residents, however, the new funding comes with expectations to achieve system-level performance measures that cannot be achieved in isolation, but in tandem with cross-sector homelessness response system partners.