As the federal government halts emergency financing for food stamps that was launched during the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, over 3 million Californian households are preparing for a significant reduction in CalFresh benefits starting next month.
Beginning in April, beneficiaries of CalFresh, who were now receiving $281 per month, could receive as little as $23 per month.
What Is CaLFresh Benefits?
Many inhabitants, especially those from low-income households, rely significantly on welfare programs like CALFresh because California is recognized for its notoriously high cost of living.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which replaces Food Stamps, is known as CALFresh in the state of California.
The state’s food assistance program, CalFresh, is sponsored by the federal government and assists low-income households with grocery shopping. The California Department of Social Services states that benefits differ depending on the size, composition, and other relevant costs of the household.
Over five million people who live in California are thought to rely on CALFresh subsidies to help them achieve their monthly nutritional needs.
According to the government, Congress approved this brief boost in benefits as a response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Due to a funding package agreed upon by Congress in December, these emergency monies will expire this month. In March 2023, the final financial distribution will take place.
As a result of welfare cuts, food banks across the state are frantically preparing for what is anticipated to be a large rise in the number of households experiencing food insecurity.
San Francisco-Marin Food Bank Is Serving More
Even without these changes, the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank’s local pantry is serving more than twice as many people as it did prior to the pandemic, according to Meg Davidson, director of policy and advocacy at the organization.
The CalFresh deduction also occurs at a time of record-high food inflation, in addition to the fact that food banks are getting busier and busier.
According to a report released on September 15, 2022, by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, food prices rose by 8.3% over the course of the year ending in August 2022. The bureau’s data indicates that this is the biggest increase since March 1979.
The estimated advantage of $23 per month, according to Silvia, won’t be enough for a one- or two-person home to get by.
The only requirement for qualifying for CALFresh benefits is income, with people who have a bank balance of less than $2,000 (or $3,000 if they live with someone over 60 or with a disability) or $3,000 being eligible to receive benefits.
The program is also available to immigrants in California who have been lawfully admitted to a place of legal residence, have resided in the US for five years with qualifying status, are under 18, or who are receiving disability-related assistance.
Read more: Who’s eligible for stimulus checks during tax season?
