Social Services

CalWORKS = CalGRADS 

The CalWORKs = CalGRADs Project was developed to ensure that low-income student parents who are participants of California’s Welfare to Work Program are able to fulfill and document their education, training, study, and work requirements. The Project supports low-income family access to Childcare, Medi-Cal, Food Assistance, and other needed social service supports that allow parents to achieve a college degree, as a viable pathway out of poverty.

Community College CalWORKs counselors have been instrumental in encouraging a number of student parents to apply to Berkeley. To demonstrate Berkeley’s ability to be considered a training program, Student Parent Center staff and campus partners reached out to County Directors and eligibility workers to make the case that a four year university can provide the essential elements needed to make a successful transition from welfare to work, and CalWORKS = CalGRADS was born.

Medi-Cal

Medi-Cal is a public health insurance program which provides needed health care services for low-income individuals including families with children, seniors, persons with disabilities, foster care, pregnant women, and low income people with specific diseases such as tuberculosis, breast cancer or HIV/AIDS.

City of Berkeley Mental Health Crisis Team

Delivering crisis intervention services (suicide, homicide, drug abuse) at location throughout the community in Berkeley and Albany. Click here for more information.

CalFRESH Clinics

In partnership with the Alameda Community Food Bank the Food Pantry is now offering CalFRESH Clinics. For eligibility information click here.

Bear Pantry

The Bear Pantry was founded in 2009 and is a donor-driven program that provides an emergency food supply to low-income UC Berkeley families with dependent children. The Bear Pantry is located 1125 Jackson Street Albany, Ca 94706. Click here to see a list of things that go into a Bear Pantry Bin.

UC Berkeley Food Pantry

The UC Berkeley Food Pantry is a direct response to the need among the student population for more resources to fight food insecurity—the lack of nutritious food. The Food Pantry has been established—to provide emergency relief to help students continue on to successfully complete and obtain their degrees from the University of California, located at the Lower Level of the MLK Building (BNorth).

Student Parent Association (SPARR) Food Donations

The Student Parent Association for Recruitment and Retention (SPARR) distributes fresh food donations in the UC Village. For more information about donations please contact SPARR