Cash assistance for low or no income adults without dependent children and emancipated minors
You may be eligible for General Assistance if you are:
The criteria used to determine your eligibility is also based on your income and property. Applicants may have up to $1,000 in personal property. If you own a car or home you live in, it will not be counted towards your personal property limit.
GA applicants and recipients must apply for all potentially available income.
All GA benefits are considered a loan to the individual receiving aid. GA recipients must sign a reimbursement agreement as a condition of eligibility.
Employable recipients may participate in employment service activities. To learn more about employment and training opportunities through the CalFresh Employment and Training (CF E&T) program click here.
You may also be eligible for Medi-Cal and food benefits, depending on your circumstances.
Individuals determined to be employable will only be eligible for cash aid for 3 full months in any 12-month period. This rule will apply whether aid was paid for 3 continuous months, or if there was a break in aid between months in any 12-month period.
Exceptions to the time limit rule:
You can apply for General Assistance online here.
If you would like to apply over the phone, call us at (510) 272-3663.
If you need an application packet to be mailed to you, call us at (510) 272-3663 or 1-888-999-4772.
You can mail your application to:
P.O. Box 12941
Oakland, CA 94604.
Click here for a blank application.
Visit us at an Alameda County Social Services Agency office. Our offices are open Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
You can fax your completed application to (510) 670-5095.
After you apply, you will be contacted by an eligibility worker to be interviewed.
During this stage, you may be asked to provide:
You can submit required verifications and most GA application forms online here.
Note: The original signed Form SSP 14 must be returned via mail or in-person and cannot be submitted online.
You can mail your required verifications and completed GA application forms to:
P.O. Box 12941
Oakland, CA 94604.
Drop off required verifications and GA application forms at an Alameda County Social Services Agency office.
You can submit required verifications and most GA application forms by faxing them to (510) 670-5095.
Note: The original signed Form SSP 14 must be returned via mail or in-person and cannot be submitted via fax.
General Assistance recipients can choose between receiving cash aid through direct deposit or an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card.
Tell your eligibility worker your choice and they will give you further instructions. You can find more information here.
If you choose an EBT card, you can check your balance by;
See a list of surcharge free ATMs here.
If your card is stolen or lost, please call 1-877-328-9677 to report it and to request a replacement card.
To find out where you can use your EBT card, please visit the EBT Store Locator.
Click here for more information on the EBT card.
Protect yourself against scams, do not share your EBT card or PIN with others. We will never contact you to ask about these details so if you receive any phone calls, texts or emails asking for your information, DO NOT provide it to them.
To keep your General Assistance benefits you may need to complete a semi-annual report, redetermination, and any mandatory mid-year reports.
You may be required to submit a semi-annual report, which includes submitting a SAR 7 Form with required verifications every 6 months to report changes in circumstances such as changes in income, resources, household composition, and/or expenses, that may impact eligibility.
You can find out if your SAR 7 is due here.
You can submit your SAR 7 online here.
Additional options for ways you can submit your SAR 7 and/or any required verifications include:
Download Printable Blank SAR 7 Forms here:
(English, Spanish, Cambodian, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Farsi, Additional Languages)
Blank SAR 7 Forms are also available at Alameda County Social Services Agency offices.
You are required to complete a redetermination every year, which includes completing an interview with an eligibility worker and submitting the redetermination form and required verifications.
You can find out if your redetermination is due here.
You can submit your redetermination application form online here.
You can submit required verifications and most GA redetermination application forms online here.
Note: The original signed Form SSP 14 must be returned via mail or in-person and cannot be submitted online.
Additional options for ways you can submit your redetermination application form and/or any required verifications include:
Download Printable Blank Form 90-16 here.
GA redetermination packet forms are also available at Alameda County Social Services Agency offices.
For General Assistance there are certain changes that need to be reported at any time during the year, within 10 days of the change.
It is mandatory to report the following changes within 10 days:
You can submit reports of changes online here.
You can mail reported changes to:
P.O. Box 12941
Oakland, CA 94604
You can report changes over the phone at (510) 263-2420 or 1-888-999-4772.
You can report changes by faxing them to (510) 670-5095.
Note: There is not a required method to submit a mandatory mid-period report, however you may use the Form SAR 3 to report your change.
General Assistance (GA) provides cash aid to indigent adults and emancipated minors who are legal residents of Alameda County and who have no other means of support. It is a state-mandated program that is locally administered and funded by the County of Alameda.
GA benefits are considered a loan to the individual(s) receiving aid. The maximum cash grant for a single person on GA is $336 per month and $548 per month for a couple.
Individuals enrolled in General Assistance may qualify for some of the following benefits and services:
90-01.42: Processing Applications at Intake
90-01.43: Processing Applications at Redetermination for General Assistance
90-01.61: Presumptive Eligibility for General Assistance Applicants
90-01.70: Required Documentation and Verification in the General Assistance (GA) Program
90-01.84: Housing Assistance Vendor Program
90-01.841: Substitute IRS Form W-9 Processing in the General Assistance (GA) Program
90-02.40: CalFresh Employment and Training Program
90-02.321: Medical Evaluation Appointments - Hayward Office
90-02.322: Medical Evaluation Appointments - Oakland Office
90-03.33: Sponsored Non-Citizens
90-03.50: Citizens and Eligible Non-citizens
90-04.00: Spousal Support Responsibility and Liability
90-06.00: General Assistance Appeals Process
General Assistance Regulations
When substantial changes to the General Assistance regulations are proposed, the Social Services Agency will make them available for public review and comment, prior to implementation. Current proposed changes are available for comment here.