Eligibility requirements, both during the initial applications and ongoing processes to maintain eligibility, were the most significant frustrations for families in this project. Many of the same themes resonated across focus groups.: across the board, the worst experiences with public services were closely related to the lack of eligibility, difficulty in navigating the application process, and not receiving adequate customer support during the process. 

However, more so than with any other topic, the eligibility experiences shared by families differed from county to county. Fresno County families, especially those living in a rural region and working in the agriculture industry, focused on the difficulty of meeting the documentation requirements to become eligible. In Los Angeles County, many families spoke about poor customer service and how they were treated while applying for services. In San Mateo, many families spoke about not being eligible for services due to low federal income thresholds that don’t take into account the very high cost of living—and somewhat higher incomes—of the Bay Area.

Eligibility challenges faced by families generally fell into four themes:

• Application barriers/requirements, including all of the documentation required
• Inaccessibility of agencies or services, such as long waits, inconvenient hours, or work and child care conflicts
• Income thresholds that are too low
• Poor customer service and negative interactions with staff