Dear Lola,
I am sorry to hear about your experienced getting scammed out of rent money. We are hearing about these types of scams with greater frequency.
CalWORKS focuses mostly on preventing evictions but they also have a Moving Assistance program that pays up to $2,000 towards security deposits and first month’s rent payment. More information is available through a response to another client in Los Angeles.
I’d be interested to hear back on the outcome of your contact with CalWORKS.