California is making it easier for undergraduate students to access the CalFresh food assistance program by reducing the administrative requirements that prevented financially eligible students from applying. According to an announcement by Governor Gavin Newsom, enrollment in a degree program at one of the state's three public higher education systems now meets the initial requirements relating to student status. Recipients can receive up to $306 a month to buy food, with that amount representing the maximum benefit.
The measure covers California Community Colleges (CCC), California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC). For undergraduate students who meet the financial criteria and attend at least half-time, enrollment in a two-year or four-year degree program is now enough to meet the relevant eligibility requirement. This does not mean that all enrolled students automatically qualify for benefits: financial criteria still apply, and an application is required. The change simplifies one specific stage of the process.
According to the state government, the previous process for proving eligibility was often so complicated that it discouraged students entitled to assistance from seeking it. The new measure does not introduce an additional benefit but makes existing benefits easier to access. The government estimates that hundreds of thousands of eligible students remain outside the program and expects more than 200,000 additional enrollments. According to the same estimate, these could secure more than $250 million in total additional food assistance; these are the anticipated results of the change.
CalFresh is the name under which the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) operates in California, helping low-income residents buy food. It is funded by the federal government and administered by the state's counties. According to figures in the announcement, it serves nearly 5.2 million people in more than 3.1 million households each month. The simplification for students therefore forms part of an already extensive system supporting residents' access to food.
The “Full Carts” awareness campaign is also being launched to inform students about the opportunity to enroll and encourage them to apply. Chris Larsen, co-founder and executive chairman of Ripple, donated $1.5 million to fund it. Instacart and Snap have also contributed and will support efforts to inform students through their platforms. This funding is for the awareness campaign, while CalFresh benefits themselves are federally funded.
The change was presented at a meeting with students at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, attended by the governor, social services representatives and members of the Breakthrough Advisory Group. This advisory group was created the previous year to improve the effectiveness of state administration. Newsom linked the initiative to the need for students to be able to study without hunger and without unnecessary barriers to assistance. The announcement presents simpler procedures as a key way to get available support to more eligible recipients.
The initiative adds to other food access programs described in the announcement. Through School Meals for All, California guarantees two free meals a day to every public school student, regardless of income, while the Universal Meals Program has provided nearly 3.5 billion free school meals. SUN Bucks provides $120 for food to each eligible child during the summer break. In addition, the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program offers matching benefits for fruit and vegetable purchases, up to $60 a month, at participating stores and farmers' markets.
For students, the practical step set out in the announcement is to apply through BenefitsCal.com. EBT cardholders can also use the free ebtEDGE app to manage and protect their benefits. The significance of the change lies in reducing an administrative barrier between available assistance and the people entitled to it. How many additional students will ultimately enroll remains an open question, as the figures released by the state are estimates of expected participation.
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