LATEST NEWS

Mandated Reporter Training Opportunities

Are you a mandated reporter? Attend an upcoming child abuse and neglect mandated reporter training! These trainings are designed for mandated reporters, social workers, mental health professionals, K-12 educators, medical professionals, peer advocates, and judicial members. Mandated reporter trainings are also FREE, held both in-person and virtually, include Spanish language session options, and require advanced registration online. Learn more about our upcoming in-person and virtual trainings and how you can register online, by CLICKING HERE.

Benefits Call Center Closed Wednesdays in March

The County’s Benefits Call Center will temporarily close on Wednesdays in March, the 4^th, 11^th, 18^th and 25^th, to allow Human Services staff to process paperwork. In-person benefits assistance remains available on Wednesdays, and all call center hours are otherwise operating at their usual times on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. If you need Medi-Cal, CalFresh, CalWORKs, General Assistance or other benefits related support during these closure times, please visit our County offices in person for assistance, at:

  ♦  1020 Emeline Avenue, Santa Cruz

  ♦  500 Westridge Drive, Watsonville

Children's Network Symposium

Join HSD's Family & Children's Services, and our United Way partners for the Children’s Network Symposium to center youth voice and early support for families. This convening is focused on prevention, early intervention, and strengthening the systems that protect children and stabilize families:

NEW! Community Need Assessment Data Dashboard

The Santa Cruz County Master Plan for Aging' Community Needs Assessment, or "CNA" report, released in August of 2025, culminates 18 months of data collection and analysis with 3,230 residents from across Santa Cruz County participating. This data is now available!

CLICK HERE to access respondent data, captured in easy to distill categories of interest.

CalFresh and Food Assistance Resources

SNAP, known as CalFresh in California, provides more than 30,000 low-income children, families, seniors and veterans in Santa Cruz County with monthly food assistance, helping those in need purchase nutritious food. Currently federal law requires CalFresh to continue to be funded through September 30, 2026, regardless of any further federal shutdowns. CalFresh recipients remain eligible by continuing to report changes and by renewing your benefits as required. For more, visit Benefitscal.com or call 1-888-421-8080.

Medi-Cal Changes Are Coming - Make Sure You're Covered!

Your health matters—make sure you’re covered! Renew or apply for Medi-Cal before Dec. 31, 2025, to keep your full benefits—including doctor visits, prescriptions, and more—regardless of immigration status. After Jan. 1, 2026, new rules will apply to first-time undocumented immigrant applicants, so don’t wait! Visit BenefitsCal.com to get started. FREE and CONFIDENTIAL application support is available to all. Call us at 888-421-8080, or our partners at Community Action Board at 831-440-3556 for help applying. 

• Share this important deadline! Download this flyer to post in your business or school to help let people know about the coverage deadline!
• Click these links to download and share these informative videos in ENGLISH and SPANISH about the upcoming deadline to renew or apply for Medi-Cal!
• Read this Santa Cruz Sentinel Editorial, "Key Medi-Cal Enrollment Changes on the Horizon" by County Supervisors Monica Martinez and Felipe Hernandez

Santa Cruz County's State of the Workforce Report

The Santa Cruz County Human Services Department's Workforce Development Board (WDB) recently released the 2025 State of the Workforce report, offering a snapshot of local employment trends, wage data, and the affordability pressures shaping the region’s economy. While employment trends and local job quality reveal some challenges that widen the gap between wages and living costs, the report highlights encouraging signs:

CalWORKs Stage 1 Child Care Extension News!

 Starting July 1, 2025, CalWORKs Stage 1 Child Care will be extended from 12 to 24 months, giving families more time, more stability, and more peace of mind. CalWORKs Child Care provides immediate and continuous care. Help starts right away and continues without gaps. This vital support helps parents focus on work or school while ensuring their children are in a safe, nurturing environment. CalWORKs Stage 1 Child Care benefits include:

• Guaranteed child care while participating in CalWORKs Employment Services
• 24 months of uninterrupted support
• Flexibility to pursue employment, education, or training

NEW - HSD's Social Services Data Dashboard Published! 

County Commitment to Protect & Support Community

• Review the County's commitment to Protecting Communities 
• Read more about the County and our department's commitment: Community Protection and Support 
• Downlad this FLYER in English and Spanish, for Community Based Organizations and partner agencies to post publicly

Access Benefits Information and Supports Online Without Having to Come In-Person!

Preliminary Age Well Survey Results - A Blueprint for Aging Well

As part of Age Well Santa Cruz County and designing our Master Plan on Aging, we issued a county-wide Community Needs Assessment Survey in early 2024 to collect community feedback focused on aging in the county. Preliminary results from the survey are now available! Learn more and find our preliminary survey results, here:

• CLICK HERE to review the survey results data stories
• Read the County's preliminary survey results press release to learn more.
• The Santa Cruz Sentinel reported on the growing Santa Cruz County senior population's struggle for resources
• Read Lookout Santa Cruz's coverage of our survey results findings

Human Services Department Staff Excel in MSW Internship Program! 

We value the importance of professional development, and participate in the Masters of Social Work (MSW) Internship Program to support current staff who are seeking a MSW degree with a qualifying California graduate school of social work. This year we saw 6 Human Services Department staff either complete their internships toward earning their MSW, or graduate from the program, earning their MSW, and we couldn’t be prouder! Congratulations to all the field instructors, interns and graduates in the program!

South County Government Services Center, Officially Open!