A Year in Review: Changing Lives with CalFresh

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As we look back on the past year, we’re motivated by everything we and our partners accomplished together to help our fellow San Diego residents access the food assistance they need.

Now, we’re sharing our favorite 2016 wins with you. Thanks to your support, we:

  1. Led San Diego County to integrate food security resources like CalFresh into healthcare settings with Rx for CalFresh.
  2. Trained 383 staff, volunteers and interns to provide CalFresh application assistance at 25 partner agencies across San Diego County.
  3. Worked with CalFresh application assistance partners to help more than 10,000 households access nearly $17 million worth of food.
  4. Helped more than 200 people access food assistance by resolving technical issues with their CalFresh applications.
  5. Promoted CalFresh application assistance to college students through successful legislation (AB 1747 Weber).
  6. Connected community college students with CalFresh applications assistance through five new partnerships.
  7. Collaborated with senior-serving community organizations to engage more seniors in accessing CalFresh.
  8. Streamlined the CalFresh application process by working with the County Health and Human Services Agency to expand programs like Same Day Service across the county.
  9. Directed more than $200,000 to local nonprofits helping low-income individuals and families apply for CalFresh, as a contractor for the state CalFresh Outreach Program.

In 2017, it’s clear we have our work cut out for us. Our partners on the ground know how great the need for food assistance is, but the next administration has set its sights on dismantling and weakening programs like CalFresh. It will take all of us, raising our voices and telling our stories, to build on the progress we have made together.

We’re thankful for your contributions to make sure no one in San Diego County has to go hungry. This year, we look forward to working with you to continue making these stories heard. 

Increase to Supplemental Security Income for elderly and disabled passes in the Legislature but dies in final budget negotiations with the Governor

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Increase to Supplemental Security Income for elderly and disabled passes in the Legislature but dies in final budget negotiations with the Governor

After months of advocacy by organizations around the state -- joined under the umbrella Californians for SSI (CA4SSI) -- the California Legislature passed a state budget that increased the SSI benefit level.  Unfortunately, the increases were cut from the budget in final negotiations with the Governor. 

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Need to Raise SSI Levels Gets Recognition from Assemblymembers Brown and Thurmond

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Need to Raise SSI Levels Gets Recognition from Assemblymembers Brown and Thurmond

Cheryl Brown (D-San Bernardino) and Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond) introduced Bill 474 to increase SSI payments for people living independently from 91% of the federal poverty level to 112%. The bill was inspired by the grassroots advocacy of the CA4SSI organizations who brought SSI recipients to share their stories of hardship during Assembly hearings on the matter.

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Support Breakfast in the Classroom for Kids in California: AB 1240

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Support Breakfast in the Classroom for Kids in California: AB 1240

Take DIRECT ACTION today by sending in your letter of support! AB 1240 would increase access to school breakfast by requiring schools to implement practical changes that integrate breakfast into the school day and make the most efficient use of existing state and federal funds.

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