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Member / My Health Plan / Medi-Cal / Benefits & Services

Community Supports (CS)

With CalAIM’s Community Supports (CS) services, HPSM covers non-medical types of help that are designed to help address life challenges that can affect a person’s health. These help reduce hospital admissions or admissions to other institutions. Right now, CS services provide:

This support service includes help to:

Make your home safer: Help with supplies or changes to your home so you can breathe easier and stay healthy.

Reduce asthma triggers: Help with changes to lower the chances of asthma attacks at home.

This Community Supports service will help you find and apply for housing and help you find money to support to pay rent. The following are included:

Housing check-up: Help figuring out what is needed for housing and what might make it hard to stay in a home like how to talk to landlords/property managers and neighbors.

Housing plan: Partnering to make a plan based on what is needed and what works best.

Finding a home: Help looking for places to live and show options.

Getting help: Help with connections to programs that can help pay for housing, like rent help or housing vouchers.

Fair housing education: Teach about housing rights and help with requests needed for changes due to health or other needs.

Provides physical modifications to members’ homes to increase their independence or ensure their health, welfare and safety.

Know Your Rights: Teach Fair Housing rules and how to ask for changes needed due to health or other needs.

Build Good Relationships: Coaching on how to get along with a landlord, property manager, and neighbors to help keep housing.

Work Together: Help with landlord and care team to fix problems that could make it hard to keep housing.

Coordinates services to facilitate members’ transition from nursing facilities to a living arrangement in a private residence or public subsidized housing, including support to cover nonrecurring home set-up expenses.

This support offers the following services depending on individual needs as documented in their housing support plan. Only the services needed will be provided.

Help with Starting Your Home: Help with payment for things you need to move in and make the home safe.

Security Deposit: Help with the funds needed to get the lease.

Health and Safety Services: Payment for one-time cleaning, pest removal, and small repairs so the home meets safety standards (not required by the landlord).

Application Fees: Help with payment for the cost of applying for a home.

Transitional Rent is a Community Supports benefit that can help pay up to 6 months of rent for new permanent housing or short‑term housing while a member works toward more stable, long‑term housing.

This benefit may help if you are leaving a hospital, care facility, foster care, or another temporary housing situation — or if you are living outside and need help moving into housing.

What Transitional Rent Covers

  • Short‑term help paying rent
  • Up to six total months total assistance (months don’t have to be used all at once)

When Transitional Rent is approved, other support services may also be provided to help you stay housed and plan for what comes next.

How to know if you qualify

You may qualify for Transitional Rent if:

  • You have Medi‑Cal or CareAdvantage and receive health care through HPSM
  • You are working with care providers for behavioral health or substance use support
  • You are experiencing homelessness, at risk of homelessness, or moving out of:
    • A hospital or care facility
    • Jail or prison
    • Temporary or shelter‑based housing
    • Foster care
  • You have a plan for stable housing after this program ends. If you do not have a plan, we can provide support to create one.

Not everyone who applies will qualify. Eligibility is based on medical or mental health needs, housing situation, and available services.

Important things to know

Transitional Rent cannot be used to:

  • Pay back rent you already owe
  • Stop an eviction
  • Pay rent for someone who already has stable housing

This benefit is meant to support temporary rental assistance while you work toward a more stable living situation.

How to get started

If you think Transitional Rent may help you:

Coordinates services to facilitate members’ transition from nursing facilities back into home-like, community settings. Assisted living facilities can include Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs) and Adult Residential Facilities (ARFs).

For individuals who need assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) who could otherwise not remain at home. Services include house cleaning, meal preparation, laundry, grocery shopping, personal care services, accompaniment to medical appointments and protective supervision.

Short-term non-medical services provided to caregivers of members who require intermittent temporary supervision. These services are provided at the member’s home or other location being used as the home or at approved out-of-home locations.

Delivers medically tailored meals to the homes of members with nutrition-sensitive conditions to help them achieve their nutrition goals at critical times, helping them regain and maintain their health. To get this help you must:

  • Have a nutrition-sensitive condition
  • Complete a required nutrition assessment by the Meals Provider

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about CS

Who is eligible for CS?

Members are eligible for CS if they meet the following:

  • Are an HPSM Medi-Cal or CareAdvantage member
  • Have a Care Manager who will work with them to reach their health goals
  • Are willing to receive CS services

How are members told that they are in CS?

Members who are placed in CS get a letter from HPSM.

Do members pay for CS?

No. Eligible members get CS at no cost.

How can members get CS?

There are three ways that members can get CS:

  1. HPSM offers to enroll members who qualify for CS based on their health records.
  2. Members who want CS can call HPSM Member Services at 650-616-2133. If they are not eligible for CS, HPSM will help them find other supports they can get.

Does getting CS services change the benefits members already have?

No. When members enroll in CS, all their benefits stay the same. CS provides members with non-medical types of help that are designed to help address life challenges that can affect their health.

Can members opt out of CS?

Yes. Members can opt out of CS at any time by telling their CS Provider or HPSM Care Coordinator that they no longer want to be in CS. Their HPSM Care Coordinator can refer them to other supports if they wish.

Who provides CS services?

HPSM contracts with the agencies below to provide CS to our members:

Can members choose their CS provider?

Yes. Members can choose from HPSM’s list of contracted CS providers. If a member wants to see a specific CS provider, they should tell their HPSM Care Coordinator. If a member does not choose an CS provider, HPSM will choose one for them.

Can a member change their CS provider?

Yes. They just need to tell their CS Provider they want to change CS providers. They can also call HPSM Member Services at 650-616-2133 to change.

For more information about Medi-Cal benefits, refer to the Medi-Cal Member Handbook / Evidence of Coverage. To order a printed Member Handbook, email [email protected] or call Member Services.