Why Californians need food assistance

The stories behind the numbers

Californians who receive food assistance come from all backgrounds, but many share a similar story: they were barely getting by financially when they were tipped into crisis by an unexpected expense or loss of income. This site shares their stories.

At Code for America, we run GetCalFresh.org, which helps more than 30,000 households apply for food assistance every month. We've heard again and again how difficult it is for people experiencing hunger to seek out help. Despite their hardships, many of our users describe their reluctance to ask for help. Many tell us that they have never asked for help before and are ashamed about their situation. People applying for food assistance feel the stigma that arises from deeply ingrained myths about poverty and welfare in American culture.

Our users' stories challenge these myths. They reflect the common financial struggles that lead people to seek out food assistance. We know that, as one of our users put it, "The less fortunate are invisible to so many people." Our aim is to surface their stories, with dignity and respect, in order to create a more accurate and memorable picture of the people who seek out and receive food assistance in California.

Facts about food assistance

7 in 10
SNAP beneficiaries are part of a household with children
1 in 3
are part of households with seniors or people with disabilities
$134
is the average monthly benefit for a household of one
More than
1 in 2
working age, non-disabled SNAP recipients has a job

Most GetCalFresh users were barely making ends meet when they were tipped into crisis by an unexpected expense, job loss, or cut in hours.[4][5] Once cost of living is taken into account, California is the state with the highest poverty rate.[6] Many Californians — working adults, families with children, students, seniors — live precarious financial lives, described in the stories in the first section of this site.

A financial shock, such as an illness or injury, a job loss, a rent increase, or even a car breakdown, might be enough to force a financially vulnerable household to make choices between food and other necessities. The second section of this site includes stories of adverse events that led Californians to seek out food assistance.

People feel shame in asking for help because they prefer to be self-sufficient. A common goal among users is to be on CalFresh for the shortest possible time. Others mention anxiety that friends, extended family, or employers might find out that they are seeking food assistance.

After taxes, insurance, union dues, and retirement contributions, I only take home $1,020 every two weeks. My rent is $1,200. I have worked all my life, never been unemployed, and never requested assistance before. I have been with Sheriff's Department and Probation for almost 25 years, and I still make the same amount I did when I started all those years ago. The price of everything continues to go up but my pay continues to go down. We struggle every month just to make it. I hate to ask for assistance, but I don't know what else to do.
Butte
Los Angeles
Orange
Placer

The myths of food assistance

Myth
People on food assistance don't work and don't want to work.
Fact
Most households include at least one person with a job.

Many Americans think that people on food assistance don't want to work.[7][8] In fact, most households on food assistance have at least one person with a job, but their pay is very low or their hours are unpredictable.[9] Two-thirds of people who receive SNAP are children, seniors, or people with disabilities.[10]

Among SNAP households with children, 65% work any given month and 87% work within a year. Among SNAP households without children, 59% work any given month and 81% work within a year.[11] Among adult SNAP recipients under age 60, over 60% are working and are on SNAP to deal with low pay or unstable work. The rest of adults on SNAP tend to be students, have a health issue or disability, or have caregiving responsibilities.[12][13][14] Lastly, able-bodied adults without dependents can only receive SNAP for up to three months within a three year period unless they work or try to find work.

Myth
Recipients are a burden to taxpayers and a drain on the country's tax revenue.
Fact
SNAP benefits create jobs and stimulate local economies.

The USDA estimates that every $5 of SNAP benefits roughly translates into $9 of economic activity and that every billion dollars spent on SNAP supports the equivalent of 8,900 full-time jobs.[15] Advocates project that closing the participation gap in California would generate $4.5 billion in additional economic activity and $88 million in local and state taxes.[16]

Myth
Poverty is too complicated to be solved by government.
Fact
Government assistance programs measurably reduce poverty and hunger.

In 2016, safety net programs kept 7.8% of Californians out of poverty, with CalFresh making the largest dent.[17] Across the U.S., SNAP reduced the poverty rate in 2015 from 15.4% to 12.8%.[18] SNAP improves health by providing stable access to food and nutrition.[19][20][21][22]

Myth
Poor people will spend their benefits in irresponsible ways.
Fact
Benefits can only be used to purchase food.

The maximum benefit a single person can receive is $192 per month. SNAP benefits can only be used at certain grocery stores to purchase specific items. You can’t buy items like alcohol, tobacco, or pet food with SNAP benefits.[23]

Myth
People are taking advantage of the program.
Fact
Entitlement programs like SNAP have extremely low fraud.

Entitlement programs like SNAP have an extremely low rate of cheating or fraud.[24][25][26] If someone accidentally receives more benefits than they qualify for, they are required to pay the government back. In federal audits, 97% of SNAP benefits cases accurately reflect the recipients' circumstances.[27]

Myth
The program is inefficient.
Fact
SNAP dollars are spent effectively.

93% of Federal SNAP dollars go to food that SNAP beneficiaries buy.[28]

Myth
Undocumented immigrants use food assistance.
Fact
People who are undocumented immigrants are not and have never been eligible for SNAP.

Applicants are linked to their social security number and are required to confirm their identity by submitting verification documents.[29]

Barely getting by

Food assistance is a way of coping with a challenge that almost everyone is familiar with: making ends meet. Despite its size and economic diversity, California is the fourth most expensive place to live in the country, after Hawaii, Washington DC, and New York.[30]

In California

More than
1 in 5
children live in poverty.
4 in 5
people in poverty live with at least one working adult.
1 in 10
individuals receive CalFresh.
73%
of CalFresh recipients are members of households with children.

These economic circumstances mean that many Californians can't quite manage their monthly expenses. The most common challenge GetCalFresh users mention in their applications is not being able to afford food after paying for rent, utilities, and transportation to get to work.

Working, but still hungry

Most of the people receiving CalFresh benefits who can work, do work. But they often work in low-wage jobs like retail, the restaurant industry, home health, or construction. These jobs often have unsteady hours that can leave workers in financially unstable situations.[31] Many lack benefits and flexibility, which can mean frequent job losses, fluctuating and insufficient hours, and gaps between jobs if transportation or child care falls through. Food insecurity for these workers harms the health of whole families.

I have a car payment that's $336 every month and a weekly daycare bill of $175. After rent, the phone bill, and gas, I have nearly nothing to spend on food. I often don't eat so that my child can eat. I feel terrible feeding him cheap unhealthy food, especially because I enjoy cooking, but I can't afford the ingredients to cook anything. It's embarrassing, but I often eat leftover food at work or the school cafeteria so I have the energy to function. I would absolutely appreciate any help I can get.
Monterey
Orange
Sacramento
San Mateo

The testimonials of these parents echo the research findings. In interviews with 90 families with children receiving SNAP benefits, academics found that about half restricted their own eating to make sure their children would have enough food.[32] In the U.S. in 2017, 15.7% of households with children were food insecure.[33] In about 45% of these households (or 7% of all U.S. households), adults reported skipping meals or cutting the size of a meal in the last 30 days.[34]

Despite their efforts, parents often struggle to provide healthy food for their kids. The median GetCalFresh parent works 38 hours a week, earning $14.70 an hour. In fact, 66% of GetCalFresh households with children include a working adult. Nationally, 65% of SNAP households with children include someone who is working.[35]

Just getting started: students and young adults

Many young adults, whether enrolled in college or starting their career, lack the income to meet their basic needs.

I just moved to California to get my teaching credential. I made and saved money over the summer, but it will be difficult for me to work as I have to do 15-20 hours of unpaid student teaching a week in addition to my classes. I still have to make loan payments, pay for insurance, gas, groceries, etc., in addition to the fees for tests to get my credential. I have no family support in California.
Alameda
Butte
El Dorado
Sacramento
San Francisco
Santa Cruz
San Luis Obispo

Students often take desperate measures to stay fed: they join clubs for the food, participate in research for cash, and ask friends to swipe them into the dining hall. In some counties, a large share of GetCalFresh applicants are students. For example, students account for 60.7% of applications in Santa Cruz County and 58% of applications in Yolo County.

Young people entering the workforce experience the least secure, lowest paid period of their careers. SNAP can serve as a bridge to get them through. GetCalFresh applicants below age 30 work four fewer hours a week (32 vs. 36 hours/week), and earn two dollars less per hour ($13 vs. $15/hour), than applicants in their thirties. Moreover, 46.1% of applicants under age 30 live by themselves, compared to only 28.5% of applicants in their thirties.[36]

Seniors facing stigma

In California, the average monthly benefit for a senior is $158,[37] making it especially worth their while to apply. Yet seniors represent the population with the greatest gap between their eligibility for SNAP and their enrollment in the program, due in large part to stigma.[38][39][40][41] Nationally, SNAP reaches 85% of all eligible individuals, but only 45% of eligible seniors.[42] In California, the disparity is worse: SNAP reaches 70% of all eligible individuals, but only 18% of eligible seniors.[43]

With rising costs of living and the severe impacts of the 2007-2009 financial crisis on retirement savings among those approaching retirement age, many seniors do not have enough saved to have a stable retirement income.

I was a registered nurse until I fractured my right heel bone and was forced to retire. Disability was declined. The only income I have is Social Security ($1,047 per month). Each month, my expenses average $75 for major medical insurance, $80 for one prescription medication, $54 for auto insurance, $30 for auto registration, $250 for propane for cooking and heating (I live in a camper). I do not have dental insurance and can't afford to get care for my bad teeth. I really need help for food and other basic necessities.
Fresno
Orange
Sacramento
Santa Cruz
Solano
Ventura

As people age, they often struggle with declining physical or mental capacity to work. Many feel compelled to stop working, reduce their hours, or change jobs to cope with a major health crisis of their own or in their household. Even without health challenges, people in late middle age and over frequently report encountering age discrimination in the labor market. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many GetCalFresh users who are seniors mention unemployment as a reason for applying.

Setbacks and crisis

Households on the financial edge can hardly keep up with the bare necessities. With no buffer, a financial shock like a car accident, medical emergency, or unexpected layoff can break the budget for months, forcing people to choose between food, housing, and medical care.

Academic researchers distinguish financial shocks that lead to increased expenses (such as a rent increase or car breakdown) from those that lead to decreased income (such as reduced hours at work, or a job loss).[44][45] In this section, we'll share applicants' stories of the shocks that led them to seek food assistance. Common financial shocks include losing a job, getting sick or injured, or needing to care for a family member. Natural disasters, while less frequent, can also be a shock — in late 2018, thousands of people applied for food assistance after being displaced by California's wildfires.

Among GetCalFresh users under age 60 who live alone

27.3%
lost a job in the last 30 days.
65%
of other users have a job.
80.9%
who have a job work at least 20 hours a week.
Yet, only
17.2%
have a job that gives them 40+ hours a week.
Source: GetCalFresh application data

Losing a job

For people who are already struggling financially, a job loss or reduction in hours is often the shock that makes food assistance necessary.

I have been unemployed this last month. I am in the process of getting hired at an on campus job in university housing, though I have multiple applications out for more job opportunities. Although some of my schooling is covered through CalVet college fee waiver program, I am struggling to cover extra school fees and books. I am trying to further my future by earning a degree to one day be financially stable and available to help others in need.
Butte
Monterey
Orange
Yolo

Roughly two in five households that fall into poverty do so because of the loss of a job. Nearly half (47%) of households that exit poverty will do so because of a new job.[46] For people who are between jobs, SNAP reduces stress about food availability and the pressure to make trade-offs to get by. Clients share stories about dire choices they have made, like selling a car in a rush, or using rent money for food (and then being evicted). The most common reason applicants tell us they no longer need food assistance is that they went from unemployed to employed, found a better job, or got more hours. SNAP provides the stability to find a higher paying job or one with more regular hours.

Illness, injury, and disability

When illness or injury strikes, taking time away from work and managing medical bills add to the financial strain of Californians living close to the poverty line.

I am on various medications for endometriosis, bipolar disorder, etc. The cost of my copays for medications has skyrocketed. It is really important to stay on my medications. But that has made it hard to buy food that I'm supposed to be eating. Trying to make $30 last a week for groceries makes it really hard to buy vegetables and fruit. I have gone down two sizes in a month because I have been balancing the cost of my medications against my purchases of groceries.
Contra Costa
Orange
Placer
San Diego
Solano
Yolo

People who have recently become disabled may qualify for disability (SSI), but rely on SNAP while they wait. It may take three to four months to get an initial decision for disability benefits, which was a denial in 80% of disability cases in 2016.[47] Those denied often appeal, but in 2017, the average wait for an appeal was nearly 20 months.[48] More than 40% of SNAP participants with a disability do not receive SSI or SSDI and 28% of non-elderly adults on SNAP have a disability.[49]

Caring for a family member

Caring for a child, an older relative, or a disabled spouse can be a full-time job with no salary or benefits. With little time to earn income, caregivers often seek food assistance to help them get by.

I'm 25 and I take care of my grandma who has been on dialysis for 11 years. I've helped her everyday for several years for free. It has become increasingly hard to support myself with very little money and hardly any family support. I go to local churches and food drives to get food for my grandparents and myself. Unfortunately, I find that many days and nights I go hungry. I am extremely independent; seeking help for others is easy. For myself, I have trouble accepting anything I don't feel I earned, but everyone needs a little help to get on their feet sometimes. I don't intend to take advantage of CalFresh services for an extended period. Only until I find a job that can allow me flexible hours while my grandma needs my continued support.
Fresno
Humboldt
Orange
Sacramento
Santa Barbara
San Francisco

It's hard to find care for disabled children and adults who are not yet seniors. Family members providing care often have to cut back on their work hours. This reduces a family's ability to buy healthy food. Households with disabled individuals are two to three times more likely to be food insecure.[50]

Natural disasters hit the poor the hardest

California is prone to natural disasters like fires, droughts, and earthquakes. The impact of a disaster on low-income communities can be catastrophic, revealing how many people were living on the edge. They may have been able to just make ends meet, but had limited insurance and a very small rainy day fund to buffer losses like having to move and find a new job. Following a disaster, food assistance is an important form of aid, in addition to FEMA and unemployment insurance. These programs help lower income people with the support they need to get back on their feet.

I lost my job because my car broke down and I could no longer get to it, as it was too far away. The place I had been living burned completely down last year in the Ponderosa fire, I lost everything I owned.
Butte
Humboldt
Sonoma
Placer

As the stories above convey, CalFresh provides a critical line of support to those experiencing displacement from natural disasters. In the fall of 2018, catastrophic fires across California put many residents who were just getting by into a crisis, leading thousands to seek out food assistance.

How CalFresh helps

One in five Californians lives in poverty once the state's high cost of living is taken into account.[51] CalFresh helps millions of California workers in low-paying jobs buy healthy food during a time of need.

I started college for a career change, my car broke down, and then I lost my job. I really didn't want to get on CalFresh because of my pride but had no choice. Thanks to CalFresh, I get to eat a healthy meal every night and am now back in college.
Fresno
Humboldt
Marin
San Diego
San Francisco
Santa Cruz

Users tell us that CalFresh helped them through a challenging time. They also acknowledge that they had to overcome stigma in order to apply. Yet, taken together, their stories remind us that the stigma around food assistance is based on myths. First, most people don't want to live on government assistance. They want to be independent. They feel ashamed that they need help. Second, our users' stories show that people need assistance because of setbacks that could happen to anyone. Generally, people fall into poverty and apply for food assistance because of adverse circumstances and life events, not because of their work ethic.[52][53][54] The research shows that individual financial vulnerability and crisis are products of our society. Yet, to the people who were barely getting by before a job loss, illness, or a natural disaster, their hardships may feel unique, inviting feelings of shame and isolation. The stories our users have shared remind us that those who need help are not alone in their circumstances, nor in their desire to get back on their feet.

GetCalFresh user stories remind us that the vast majority of people want to be self-sufficient. Research shows that over half of SNAP recipients who can work are working and that over 80% worked within 12 months of receiving SNAP. People often turn to SNAP when one household member becomes underemployed or loses a job — SNAP reduces food insecurity and stabilizes finances during these transitions.[55] College students and new entrants to the labor force rely on SNAP as they build up their skills and increase their earnings potential, precisely so that they can avoid the job volatility and wage stagnation that our users in working families often describe.[56] Our users, just like the vast majority of Americans, express a strong desire for independence and self-determination.[57]

Research shows that SNAP is effective at reducing poverty

In 2016, CalFresh alone reduced the federal poverty rate in California by 2.1 percentage points.[58] Unlike many safety net programs that benefit people in the middle of the income distribution, over 90% of SNAP benefits go to individuals below the federal poverty line.[59]

Hunger is expensive for everyone. The healthcare costs attributed to hunger totaled over $160 billion in America in 2014.[60] That year, federal and state SNAP spending nationwide was $74.2 billion. Numerous studies conclude that the SNAP program increases food security and improves health.[61][62][63][64] Research has found that SNAP has particularly strong health benefits for young children. For example, SNAP reduces their risk of developing "metabolic syndrome", which can cause diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. SNAP also improves the health of babies at birth.[65][66] Recent rigorous work shows that people don't replace their cash food budget with SNAP funds, they use SNAP funds to buy more food. Each SNAP dollar translates into 50-60 cents of additional total household spending on food.[67]

SNAP is an economic investment. SNAP not only helps individuals make it through a difficult time, it energizes the local economy. When the economy is weak, SNAP is one of the strongest stimuli in the government's toolkit. During early 2009, each dollar spent on SNAP translated into $1.74 of economic activity.[68] As California Food Policy Advocates' "lost dollars, empty plates" campaign illustrates, closing the participation gap would bring large economic gains to all California counties.

It's important to combat the stigma around food assistance. It's in no one's interest for people to wait to apply, or never apply, because they are ashamed to need help during hard times.

Explore counties

Click on the map to view county statistics and read stories from real CalFresh recipients across California

Resources

References