Federal food programs in So Cal scramble as government remains closed
About 4 million poor Californians — half of them children — who rely on government assistance for the food on their tables started receiving early disbursement of their February benefits this week before money runs out under the partial federal government shutdown.
Clients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, called CalFresh in California, began seeing an accelerated deposit to their Electronic Benefits Transfer accounts on Wednesday, Jan. 16. Those accounts fund debit cards that, starting in 2004, replaced coupon-style food stamps around the country.
The money arrived a couple of weeks earlier than usual, drawn from money made available last week by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
But it also came with a warning to CalFresh participants, as program leaders noted that the partial shutdown of the federal government has created uncertainty over the availability of future benefits. Because of the shutdown — at 26 days as of Wednesday — Pat Leary, acting director of the California Dept. of Social Services, wrote:
“We are asking everyone receiving CalFresh to please be aware that although benefits are being issued early, they should plan ahead to ensure these benefits last through the month of February.”
California is home to the nation’s largest nutrition assistance program, providing help to about 1 in 10 residents. The federal funding for the nutrition program in the state totals about $515 million a month.
Last week, the USDA authorized issuing February benefits to participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, on or before Jan. 20. That directive affects about 39 million beneficiaries nationwide — mostly children, the elderly and disabled people.
The number of CalFresh users in Southern California varies by county.
According to data from the 2015 Census, about 15.9 percent of the population in San Bernardino County used CalFresh, while the rates were 10.7 percent in Riverside County, 9 percent in Los Angeles County and 6.4 percent in Orange County. The Census found the national rate in 2015 was about 13 percent.
The maximum monthly allotment in California for a single-person household is $192; a family of eight might get up to $1,153.
Leary called the early disbursement “a window of opportunity” to ensure that assistance is provided to needy children and families at least through February.
After that, it’s anybody’s guess what will happen.
Social service agencies are waiting on further guidance from the crippled federal government regarding future payments.
“There’s enough Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding in Riverside County to last through the end of the month,” County Executive Officer George Johnson told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday in a report on the shutdown.
But if funding is not restored soon, Johnson said, SNAP money “could be at risk in February.”
SCNG staff writers Sandra Emerson and Jeff Horseman contributed to this report.