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FAMILY AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE - Special Meeting

Meeting Date:	04/22/2019
Subject: SNAP/CalFresh (Food Stamp) Program Follow-up Report
Submitted For:	Kathy Gallagher
Department:	Employment & Human Services
Referral No.:	FHS #103
Referral Name:	SNAP/CalFresh (Food Stamp) Program
Presenter:	Kathy Gallagher	Contact:	Wendy Therrian, Director, Workforce Svcs Bureau

Information

Referral History:

The SNAP Program was originally referred to the Family and Human Services Committee by the Board or Supervisors on February 15, 2011. This program was formerly known as Food Stamps and is currently known as the Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In California, the name of the program is CalFresh.

On September 24, 2018, Workforce Services Director Wendy Therrian presented an annual status report to the FHS Committee. Wendy reported that applications increased by 121% over a ten year period but that that CalFresh applications and disbursements had decreased from the prior year likely due to higher employment. She expressed concern about the Federal Administration's forthcoming guidelines that will restrict eligibility for cash aid and permanent housing to permanent residents.

Supervisor Gioia observed that we are at nearly a 20% poverty level and that Devorah Levine had done work to apply what the definition of "poverty level" is for Contra Costa County. The Committee requested information on how this is affecting Contra Costa County specifically.

Supervisor Gioia asked why usage has decreased, and what staff are doing to address the different reasons (other than unemployment decreasing) for the decrease. He suggested greater outreach. Staff advised that they conduct cross-sector outreach through Meals on Wheels packets, for example, but are always battling stigma.

Lisa Arnold spoke during the public comment period about the need to close the gap between jail release and cash aid receipt, saying it can take as long as two weeks. She suggested that the Medi-Cal application be initiated while a person is still incarcerated so he/she does not come out desperate and the re-offend. Staff verified that they work with parolee entities and Rubicon center on this.. Supervisor Andersen suggested that staff network with the Office of Re-entry and Justice to obtain information about jail inmates who are preparing to emancipate.

Mariana Moore offered three recommendations from the CalFresh Partnership in pertinence to the long wait times experienced by clients in County offices and call centers, which she attributed to a lack of frontline staff in County offices:

Lift the hiring freeze on the Workforce Services Bureau so they can hire more frontline CalFresh staff.

Commit any augmented allocation this year to fund additional front line staff so that people can receive the customer service they need to navigate the benefits process.

In reference to customer service, access to benefits, and fighting hunger, create transparency about where the resources for the CalFresh allocation are being used within the County to ensure that the best use of taxpayer dollars. To do so, engage an independent contractor to conduct an impartial analysis of how CalFresh and other public benefits administrative dollars are allocated, and share the results with the public.

On December 3, 2018, Wendy Therrian presented a status update and response to the recommendations previously made by the CalFresh Partnership.

Mariana Moore expressed frustration about the long wait times for food stamps. She acknowledged the department's efforts but said more should be done to reduce wait times and that a bolder response is needed. She requested an estimate of the number of staff that would be needed to address the problem.

Larry Sly expressed concern about the additional workload associated with the "tsunami of people" that will be wanting services due to pending SSI changes. He wanted to know how the County was preparing for this workload spike. He opined that the County's Single Audit report is incomprehensible and not a good substitute for clear department reporting or an independent analysis. He stated that he was requesting only a one-time funding allocation.

Kathy Gallagher responded that not all who are eligible for SSI will actually apply, and that Mathematica (policy research) makes estimates at the state level. She noted that these estimates have no relation to the State dollar allocation to the County. She acknowledged that there is a tight window during which to hire and train staff. EHS planned to hire in January, as applications will be accepted in May, to be effective June 1. She consented to having an independent analysis conducted if private funding were made available to fund such an analysis.

Community organization representatives commented that the strategies necessary to expedite the process, such as flexible interviews and telephone signatures, will require additional staff, and that the homeless and mentally ill are unable to complete the benefits applications nor can they store/file the information.

Gigi Crawford suggested drop-in sites vs. telephone interviews and suggested that new staff training include curriculum on mentally ill recipients. Carly Finkle suggested that staff need to be trained by May 1 and that the State's estimate was an additional 10,000 applicants, a 33% increase over the County's current workload.

Supervisor Gioia acknowledged that in lieu of lifting the hiring freeze, EHS is reassigning staff internally to address workload shifts. He suggested starting the hiring process early in anticipation of the SSI changes. He acknowledged the needs and explained that the County Budget is a zero-sum exercise and the Board has the challenge of balancing all of the County's needs within the limited resources available. He described some of the other critical County needs, including the need to curtail staff turnover occurring due to hard-to-afford employee health benefits.

The Committee accepted the staff report with direction to the EHS Director to report back again in 2019.

Referral Update:

Please see attached report from EHS Director Kathy Gallagher providing an update on the department's implementation of the CalFresh benefits expansion.

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

ACCEPT status report on the Employment and Human Services Department's implementation of the CalFresh expansion. (Kathy Gallagher, Employment and Human Services Director)

Attachments
EHSD WFS CalFresh Expansion Implementation Update 4-10-19