People in Santa Barbara County who need food assistance are bracing for a new federal rule that went into effect June 1 imposing work requirements on those receiving food assistance.
About 17,000 people are at risk of losing CalFresh benefits in the county if they don’t meet the requirements for work or volunteering. But county spokesperson Kelsey Gerckens Buttitta emphasized that doesn’t mean all those in need will see their benefits cut.
“If they are meeting the requirement, they are going to continue to receive their benefits,” Buttitta said. The county Department of Social Services, which administers the CalFresh program locally, has a team that “is geared to help people through the process as much as possible,” Buttitta added.
Those affected in the county — about 30% of the 56,458 individuals who depend on CalFresh as of April — won’t be called in right away. Rather, they will be directed to meet with eligibility staff when it’s time to renew their benefits, she said.
The Central Coast has the second highest poverty rate in the state at, 19.3%, the Public Policy Institute of California reported in August.
The new rules stem from a provision in the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which passed Congress with overwhelming Republican support last year. In the wake of the bill, 3.5 million people nationwide dropped off the rolls for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, through February, the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reported.
Under the new requirements, anyone between the ages of 18 and 64 must register and show they have a job or community service in order to receive full SNAP benefits. In California, the SNAP program is called CalFresh.
Requirements for eligibility now include working an average of 20 hours each week or earning at least $217.50 per week before taxes in order to keep full benefits, according to the California Department of Social Services.
There are exceptions. Pregnant people, those medically certified as physically or mentally unable to work or those who care for dependent children are exempt from the new work requirements. There are also exceptions for those receiving unemployment benefits, going to school or in training programs at least half time, the department says.
The tougher qualifications also place new burdens on local food pantries, which depend on both monetary and bulk food donations.
“We do think there will be some increase in need, but it won’t be immediate,” said Laurel Alcantar, director of marketing for the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, which served 209,000 people in need last year.
Alcantar said the local impact will be spread out as recipients try to renew their benefits.
The latest change follows a similar cutback that took effect April 1, also mandated by the federal government, that tightened eligibility on various classes of “lawfully present” immigrants. The groups include refugees, asylum seekers and sex trafficking victims, according to the state. Those seeking benefits also had to worry about a delay during the 43-day government shutdown late last year.
Because of the anticipated increased demand, Alcantar said the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County has budgeted $3.2 million for food purchases next fiscal year, up from the current $2.8 million.
The budget increase was deemed necessary because of the new government-mandated requirements that “will impact food security and make it harder to families to keep afloat,” she said.
