DPSS Annual Report 24_25 FLIP v16_compressed

Self-Sufficiency Division

CalWORKs

CalWORKs and First 5 Riverside County Voluntary Home Visiting Program Helps Stabilize Families with Young Children

CalWORKs and First 5 Riverside County helped nearly 500 families strengthen early childhood health and stability in Fis cal Year 2024/25 through the voluntary Home Visiting Program, which pairs new parents with childhood professionals for in-home guidance, coaching, and con nections to prenatal and postnatal care. The program offers families develop mental guidance and connects them to health and social services as need ed. Support can also include essential items such as diapers, baby wipes, and books. First 5 Riverside County invests in multiple home visiting models to ensure families receive consistent, high-quality services, and CalWORKs parents with children prenatal through age 2 are eligi ble at no cost. The partnership with First 5 allowed DPSS to continue serving 195 families from the previous year and enroll 288 new families, helping to ensure the parents of infants and toddlers received support during a critical developmental period.

One family’s experience shows how home visiting can become a stabilizing force when circumstances shift. A par ent who originally enrolled to build par enting skills closed their case in January 2025 after disengaging from services. They returned in June facing eviction, homelessness, and severe financial and emotional strain while living in their car. A Home Visiting Program Parent Educa tor re-enrolled them and moved quick ly to stabilize their circumstances. The family received referrals to food pantries, baby supplies, diapers, and a hygiene kit, along with steady emotional support during a period of intense uncertainty. With continued advocacy, the family was approved for housing through Inland Empire Health Plan, one of the region’s managed Medi-Cal health plans. The family is now stably housed, engaging in home visiting and focusing on their goals. Through relationship- based sup port and access to essential resources, the Home Visiting Program continues

to help families navigate hardship and move toward long-term stability and wellbeing.

195 Continuing Families Served Fiscal Year 2024/25

288 New Families Enrolled Fiscal Year 2024/25

Nearly 500 Total Families Supported Fiscal Year 2024/25

Riverside County Department of Public Social Services | Annual Report 2024 - 2025

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