Fact Brief: Can Medi-Cal members get financial assistance with a rental deposit for a house or apartment? 

Through the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)’s Community Supports program, eligible Medi-Cal members can receive deposits for an apartment or home as a one-time service. 

Members with complex health needs that can worsen without safe housing or food and have trouble accessing recuperative care, are eligible for services. These include assistance with housing security deposits, utilities set-up fees, first and last month’s rent, first month of utilities, past-due utility bills and funding for necessary medical equipment in the home. 

As of January 1, 2026, Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans (MCPs) are also required to offer Transitional Rent services to eligible members: those at risk of homelessness, have a clinical risk factor and have recently undergone a critical life transition (i.e. exiting an institutional or carceral setting or foster care). Transitional Rent provides up to six months of rental assistance in temporary and permanent settings.