Last year, Dawn Baxter, a single mother of three, was desperate to keep her family above water. “I lost everything in about five weeks: my house, my job, broke up with my boyfriend,” she says. But then CPS put her in touch with her local family resource center.

“They saved my life,” she says enthusiastically. “My case manager helped me get a house, credit counseling, clothes for my kids. He taught me how to advocate for myself and my kids.”

In these difficult times, there are resources to help families stay afloat:

• Family Resource Centers: offer services (and referrals to other resources) for families in need. Direc-tory of FRCs: www.familyresourcecenters.net/frc/search.php  

Housing

• Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers a directory of housing counseling services, 877-833-2483
  
  
• Foreclosure help: ACORN, 866-672-2676
  
  
• Tenant’s rights help: Bay Area: Just Cause, 510-763-5877; Sacramento: Human Rights Fair Housing, 916-444-0178; Los Angeles: Housing Authority counseling hotline, 213-252-2510; San Diego: Tenants Legal Center, 858-571-7100   

Unemployment

• Unemployment insurance: available if you have been laid off or had your hours cut back and meet minimum previous earnings requirements.
• Employment Development Department, 800-300-5616, www.edd.ca.gov 

Emergency cash aid

• CalWORKs diversion program: up to $3000 to help people get or keep a job by paying for child care, car repair, rent, utilities, etc. For people who qualify for CalWORKs. Contact your county welfare department, www.dss.cahwnet.gov/foodstamps/pg839.htm

Food

• Food stamps: If you are a citizen or “qualified immigrant.” Children under 18 may be eligible if their household income is under 130% of the poverty level ($27,560 for a family of four). Contact your county welfare department, www.dss.cahwnet.gov/foodstamps/PG839.htm
  
  
• California Association of Food Banks offers a statewide directory of food banks 510-272-4435, www.cafoodbanks.org/
  
  
• Emergency food assistance: for households earning less than 130% of the poverty level, 916-229-3344.
  
  
• Women, Infants, and Children: special checks to buy healthy foods. For pregnant or breastfeeding women and children under five, with family income 185% or less of the poverty level
  ($39,220 for a family of four). 888-942-9675, http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/wicworks/Pages/default.aspx
  
  
• Free and reduced-priced school lunches: if your family’s income is up to 185% of the poverty level or you get food stamps or CalWORKs benefits. Contact your child’s school

Health insurance

• Free and low-cost state health insurance (Medi-Cal and Healthy Families): If you are a citizen or “qualified immigrant.” Children may be eligible in families earning up to 250% of the poverty level ($53,000 for a family of four), 800-880-5305

Tax credits

• Earned income tax credit: refundable federal income tax credit up to $4700 for people who earned up to $42,000 in 2007 (depending on family size). You don’t have to be a citizen. Volunteer income tax assistance (VITA) available free. Contact the IRS, 800-829-1040,  www.ftb.ca.gov

• Help Hotline: 211 (available in 19 counties)