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Case Highlight: 
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Case Highlight:  Civil Rights

An Indian single mother of three, eight months pregnant with her fourth child, found herself homeless and destitute. Desperate for help, she went to her local county and applied for CalWORKs assistance. In filling out her application, she indicated that she had Native American ancestry. Based solely upon this statement, the CalWORKs case worker denied her eligibility until she proved that she had no tribal funds available to her. Our client had never enrolled in any tribe, and had only provided her birth certificate, which stated that her mother was Native American. As a result, she was asked to get written documentation from each of twenty-four Indian nations that none was giving her any financial assistance.

Our client completed her application, under penalty of perjury, stating she had no special Native American or tribal income, but was told by the case worker that her application would not even be processed until she produced the documentation. Denied services solely because of her race, she was not even provided any assistance or guidance on how she might obtain the requested documentation.

CILS was contacted about this case by a local legal aid organization that the Indian mother turned to for help. She received the benefits she was clearly entitled to, and CILS will be assisting the client in filing any other claims she wishes to pursue. Moreover, we are seeking a formal directive from the state Department of Social Services instructing counties to abandon discriminatory practices such as this.

If any Native American believes that they have been discriminated against because of his or her race, the individual should contact a local CILS office.