IHSS Torrance: the Hamilton Avenue office, phone lines, pay rate and how to apply

The IHSS office in Torrance

The Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) lists its Torrance IHSS office as IHSS Line Operations IV – Torrance – 77. The details, as the county publishes them:

Will your case be handled here? DPSS does not publish a list of which ZIP codes or cities each IHSS office covers, so we cannot promise that a Torrance case lands at Hamilton Avenue. What the county does publish is its Services Locator: a search for IHSS and other DPSS offices near ZIP 90503 puts the Torrance office first, 3.6 miles away, and the next IHSS office on the list, Metro IHSS on South Vermont Avenue, at 12.6 miles. The office that actually holds your case is the one named on your county paperwork; if you have none yet, ask the Helpline.

Applying for IHSS from Torrance

You do not need to visit Hamilton Avenue to start a case. DPSS accepts SOC 295, the IHSS application, by phone, by post or by fax, and the same lines serve every city in the county:

• call (888) 944-4477 toll-free, or (213) 744-4477;
• mail a filled-in copy to PO Box 769, Rosemead, CA 91770 (DPSS In-Home Supportive Services);
• fax it securely to (562) 684-4264.

DPSS sets out what follows. The applicant has to apply for Medi-Cal if not already enrolled, and a county social worker interviews them to judge which tasks they cannot safely do alone and how many hours to authorize. A physician or other licensed health care professional must also fill in the Health Care Certification, form SOC 873, and nothing is authorized until it reaches the county, so hand it to the doctor early. Once the case is open, the county will ask for documents now and then; the fax number in the table above is the Torrance office's own secure line for sending them.

For anything about an existing case, from a missing notice to adding a provider, the IHSS Helpline (1-888-822-9622) is the first call. DPSS also points to an online IHSS Helpline Community for written questions.

Becoming an IHSS provider in Torrance: orientation and fingerprints

In short: a new provider calls the Helpline, completes the orientation (in person or online), then brings a photo ID plus a Social Security card to an IHSS office, turns in the enrollment paperwork and collects the Live Scan request. After the Department of Justice background check clears, the recipient names the provider and payment can start. The county guide walks through each form; here is what is specific to Torrance.

Where orientation happens. PASC, the county IHSS Public Authority, tells new providers to contact the IHSS office that handles the recipient's case to schedule orientation. For a recipient whose case sits at Hamilton Avenue, that is the Torrance office. Neither DPSS nor PASC publishes an orientation timetable for a particular office, so ask when you call.

Fingerprinting inside Torrance. DPSS says the orientation packet includes the form Live Scan operators need, and that it must go to a site on the Attorney General's approved Los Angeles County list, not just any fingerprinting shop. On October 16, 2026 that list had seven entries with a Torrance address. One is public: the El Camino College Police Department, 16007 S. Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, CA 90506, (310) 660-6140, which takes appointments only, on Wednesdays from 9 am to 1 pm. The others are private businesses. The Attorney General asks applicants to bring valid photo ID (expired cards are refused) and to call ahead to check hours and fees, which vary by site. PASC notes that providers pay for their own fingerprints.

The PASC registry for Torrance providers and recipients

The Personal Assistance Services Council (PASC) keeps the Homecare Registry that recipients use to find providers. Its headquarters is at 3452 E. Foothill Blvd., Suite 900, Pasadena, CA 91107, and its main line is (877) 565-4477, weekdays 8 am to 5 pm.

• Joining from Torrance without the trip: once you have finished orientation and cleared the background check, the Registry Provider Application can go in online, by email, by mail or by fax to (818) 206-8000. PASC also accepts walk-in applications in Pasadena from 9 am until 4 pm on weekdays. Providers with Tier 2 convictions cannot join.
• Information meetings: PASC says it holds two-hour registry recruitment meetings in different cities during the year, where applicants hear the registry's expectations and code of conduct and leave with the application form. For dates, dial (877) 565-4477, choose option 2 and then option 1.
• For recipients: according to DPSS, relatives, friends and neighbors can all be hired as providers, and PASC can help a recipient find registrants to interview.

IHSS pay in Torrance: the county rate

IHSS pay follows the county where the recipient lives, so a provider working for a Torrance recipient earns the Los Angeles County rate: $19.64 an hour, in effect since January 1, 2026. That figure appears both on the DPSS provider page and in the Los Angeles row of the CDSS county wage table that took effect on October 1, 2026. DPSS lists higher rates for back-up work: $21.64 under the state Back-Up Provider System and $22.64 under the Back-Up Attendant Program.

The UC Berkeley Labor Center's list of local minimum wage laws (updated September 30, 2026) has no entry for Torrance, so for private care hours paid by a family inside Torrance, the state minimum of $16.90 an hour (California DIR, from January 1, 2026) is the legal floor. The IHSS rate is $2.74 above it. The IHSS pay by county guide compares Los Angeles with the rest of the state.

Getting to the Hamilton Avenue office without a car

Torrance Transit's paratransit page names two services, and both can carry eligible riders to an IHSS appointment.

• Access Services is the county's ADA paratransit agency. Riders who qualify get a shared, curb-to-curb ride to any point within three-quarters of a mile of a Los Angeles County fixed-route bus line or Metro Rail station. Torrance Transit lists Access hours for Torrance as 4:30 am to midnight on weekdays, 5 am to 11 pm on Saturdays and 5:30 am to 10 pm on Sundays. Eligibility is set by Access, not by the city.
• Torrance Community Transit Program, for Torrance residents only. The Senior Taxi option is for residents 65 and over, who buy ride credits for $5, $3 or $1 depending on household income; Dial-a-Taxi is for residents with a disability, certified by a doctor, at $1 a credit. Each credit covers up to $13 of a taxi fare, you can buy up to 12 a month, and the city sets no limit on where you travel. Registration is in person at the Transit Store in the Mary K. Giordano Regional Transit Center, 465 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503; call (310) 781-2174 or (310) 781-2176. Bring photo ID and a utility bill in your name.

The city's senior services page also lists Dial-A-Lift and Senior Ride through Torrance Community Transit, with eligibility questions answered on (310) 618-2536. None of the Torrance Transit timetables we checked lists a timepoint on Hamilton Avenue itself, so if you plan to ride a fixed-route bus, use the agency's trip planner with the full street address before you set out.

Aging and caregiver help in Torrance

• Focal Point on Aging: run by the Torrance Commission on Aging with the city's Community Services Department, it is a phone referral line staffed by trained volunteers for older adults, caregivers and families, covering transportation, housing, Meals on Wheels, companion care, Medicare and more. Call (310) 320-1300, Monday to Friday, 9 am to noon. It is based at the Russ Nolte Annex, 1339 Post Avenue, and publishes a 2026–2027 directory.
• City senior centers: Torrance Community Services runs programs for adults 50 and over at three centers: the Herma Tillim Center, Bartlett Senior Citizen Center and Walteria Park Senior Citizen Center. The department's line is (310) 320-5918.
• LA Caregiver Resource Center: a USC Family Caregiver Support Center program that serves family caregivers throughout Los Angeles County with consultations, respite, education and support groups; (800) 540-4442.
• Adult Protective Services: LA County Aging & Disabilities runs APS around the clock for adults 60 and older and dependent adults aged 18 to 59. Report suspected abuse or neglect on (877) 477-3646; call 911 in an emergency. The department's general Information & Assistance line is (800) 510-2020.

When IHSS hours are not enough

An IHSS authorization covers a set number of hours a month, and many Torrance households need more: overnight help, weekends, or a break for the relative who already does the IHSS shifts. Those extra hours are private care. A family can post that job on CaregiverConnect at no cost, read replies from caregivers and hire one directly, becoming the household employer and agreeing the rate, at or above the $16.90 state minimum. We charge caregivers no commission and do not run background checks, though a caregiver can upload proof of one; optional paid plans add features. Browse caregiver jobs in Torrance or caregivers in Torrance; the postings there update as families publish them.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. LA County DPSS, Office Locations (IHSS Line Operations IV - Torrance - 77, Suite 150A, Helpline 1-888-822-9622)
2. LA County DPSS, In-Home Supportive Services (SOC 295 by phone, mail and fax; eligibility; SOC 873; office eFax numbers; providers can be family or PASC registrants)
3. LA County DPSS, IHSS Providers (orientation, photo ID and Social Security card, Live Scan packet, $19.64, BUPS and BUAP rates)
4. LA County Services Locator, IHSS Ops IV Torrance - 77 (hours, Participant Help Line)
5. LA County Services Locator, DPSS offices near ZIP 90503 (distances)
6. PASC, Provider enrollment questions (orientation through the office handling the case; providers pay for fingerprints)
7. PASC, Registry providers (eligibility, application routes, fax, Pasadena address and walk-in hours, meetings, Tier 2)
8. California Attorney General, Live Scan locations, Los Angeles County (Torrance entries, El Camino College Police Department)
9. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026", Los Angeles $19.64 from January 1, 2026)
10. UC Berkeley Labor Center, inventory of local minimum wage ordinances (modified 2026-09-30)
11. California DIR, minimum wage FAQ ($16.90 from January 1, 2026)
12. Torrance Transit, Paratransit (Access Services and its hours for Torrance)
13. City of Torrance, Torrance Community Transit Program (Senior Taxi, Dial-a-Taxi, Transit Store)
14. City of Torrance, Senior Centers and Programs (Focal Point on Aging, three senior centers, senior transportation line)
15. LA County Aging & Disabilities, Adult Protective Services (24/7, ages, hotline, Information & Assistance line)
16. LA Caregiver Resource Center, USC Family Caregiver Support Center (serves Los Angeles County, 800-540-4442)