CalFresh - Food/Nutritional Assistance
Living on a limited budget can sometimes mean juggling food, rent, utilities and transportation expenses. The CalFresh Program is designed to help families put food on the table and pay for basic living expenses during tough times. CalFresh (formerly Food Stamps), also known as SNAP, is a federal nutrition program that helps people with low or no income purchase healthy food. Benefits are issued on an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card that can be used at most grocery stores and farmers' markets.
To receive CalFresh benefits, your household income and resources must meet certain criteria. The amount of CalFresh benefits your household may be eligible for is determined by income and family size.
Household Member - CalFresh (Food Stamp) Households
A CalFresh household is a group of people who live together, buy food and prepare meals together and whose members meet the eligibility requirements and are approved for benefits. The amount of CalFresh benefits you get will depend on the number of eligible people in your household and on how much monthly income is left after certain expenses (deductions) are subtracted.
Eligibility
Individual adults and families may qualify for nutrition assistance based on a number of factors including income and family size. To apply, submit an application with your name, address, and a valid signature. Anything else needed to determine eligibility will be reviewed and requested at your interview. Verification may be needed if income, citizenship, or other information cannot be verified electronically or is questionable. Commonly used verification documents include:
- Identification
- Immigration status
- Sponsored non-citizen information
- Residency
- SSN/Application for all household members
- Gross income
- Disability
- Shelter and utility expenses
- Medical expenses
- Child support obligations and payments
For expedited service, only identification is required to issue benefits - other verifications may be postponed. Verification such as shelter costs, dependent care costs, household size, and liquid resources do not require verification unless questionable.
Expedited Services
Households that qualify for expedited service (ES) go through the same application forms as all other customers, but not all information has to be verified before benefits are issued (additional requirements must be met for ongoing eligibility). Households may qualify for expedited service (ES) if they are experiencing one of the eligibility factors below:
- Less than $150 in monthly gross income and liquid resources of $100 or less
- Migrant or seasonal farm workers who are destitute
- Households that have combined monthly gross income and liquid resources which are less than their monthly rent or mortgage and utilities
CalFresh benefits will be made available to the household no later than the third calendar day following the date the application was filed. Applicants are informed of and are automatically reviewed for expedited service at the time the application is filed.
How to Apply
- You can apply for benefits online using BenefitsCal
- GetCalFresh.org is a service provided by Code for America that allows anyone to apply for CalFresh using a mobile phone or computer and guides them through the eligibility process using email, text and live chat support.
- You may mail your application to Siskiyou County Health and Human Services Agency at 818 S. Main Street, Yreka, CA 96097
- You may fax your application in at 530-841-2723
- You may also apply in person at 818 South Main Street in Yreka.
