Poverty in CA:

• In 2021, there were about 5,160,000 people experiencing poverty in the state of California, or 13.2% of the state’s population. This is the highest rate of poverty in any state.
• 9% of children live in poverty.
• About 3.9 million more Californians (10.3%), would be in poverty without safety net programs.
• California is ranked last in the nation for affordable housing

CA Food Insecurity:

• More than 1 in 5 Californians are struggling to maintain a regular source of adequate, nutritious food, with greater levels of hunger experienced by Black and Latine families compared to white families.
• This very high rate of food insecurity exists even with the CalFresh program providing food assistance to between 4-5 million Californians, showing the need to make further investments to strengthen our safety net.
• Among low-income Californians, 29 percent report that they can only sometimes find affordable fruits and vegetables in their neighborhood, and 3 percent report they never can.

SNAP/CalFresh in California:

• CalFresh is our first line of defense against hunger, and keeps nearly 700,000 people out of poverty, 312,000 of whom are children.
• Over 5 million Californians participate in CalFresh, but many more qualify.
• Only 66% of eligible Californians participate in CalFresh.
  • In 2022, more than:
    • 61% were in households with children
    • 40% were in working families
    • 19% were in families with members who are elderly or have a disability.
• During the pandemic, CalFresh households received a temporary boost in CalFresh benefits through federally-authorized “Emergency Allotments.” Now that these Emergency Allotments have ended, households face a “benefits cliff” as their monthly allotments have drastically reduced. The state must explore ways to mitigate this harm to prevent further spikes in hunger and hardship.
• CalFresh households’ purchasing patterns often don’t reflect the foods they need, want or find culturally appropriate. Shopping decisions are shaped mostly by high prices and limited access, which restricts their choices. CHAC advocates for solutions to address this.
• More facts and figures about CalFresh (known as SNAP federally) by congressional district can be found here. 

CalWORKs:

• CalWORKs families live below the Federal Poverty Line.
• Cuts to the CalWORKs program over the last 2 decades have given 1.1 billion dollars annually to the state budget.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI):

• In 2024, the maximum SSI/SSP grant for an individual is  $1,183 per month, which falls below the federal poverty level.
• Women, disproportionately Asian, Black, and Latine, are the majority of SSI/SSP recipients.
• The state has cut an estimated $10 billion from investments to SSI recipients since the Great Recession in 2009.
• Since 2019, SSI recipients can now apply for CalFresh.
• Visit CA4SSI.org to learn more about opportunities for advocacy for SSI recipients in California.