(831) FAX: (831) REPORT ON CALFRESH OUTREACH AND PARTICIPATION

Transcription

1 County of Santa Cruz 0267 HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT Cecilia Espinola, Director 1000 Emeline Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA (831) FAX: (831) November 29,2012 AGENDA: December 11,2012 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS County of Santa Cruz 701 Ocean Street Santa Cruz, CA REPORT ON CALFRESH OUTREACH AND PARTICIPATION Dear Members of the Board: As your Board is aware, the Human Services Department's Employment and Benefits Services Division (EBSD) administers the CalFresh Program, which provides food and nutritional benefits to eligible individuals and families in the County. Last June during budget hearings, your Board reviewed information regarding the CalFresh Program and requested a report back on local efforts to increase the number of eligible families and individuals who participate and benefit from the program. The purpose of this letter is to provide your Board with the requested report. The CalFresh Program enables low-income families and individuals to supplement their food budget and purchase groceries at the store or local farmers markets. While the amount of CalFresh benefits varies based on household size and income, maximum benefits range from $200 for an individual to $668 for a family of four, with greater amounts for larger households. As of October 2012, there were 9,658 non-assisted households (those not receiving CalWORKs or other forms of cash assistance) and a total of 18,195 individuals who participate in the CalFresh Program. During fiscal year over $34 million in CalFresh benefits were issued in Santa Cruz County. Over the last five years, the enrollment of non-assisted CalFresh participants has nearly doubled. However as the recovery from the recession continues, it is apparent that the rate of poverty has increased and many potentially eligible for CalFresh have not been enrolled. To reach potentially eligible participants, EBSD has streamlined the application process to ensure ready access to the program, and enhanced outreach efforts to educate County residents about CalFresh. Those efforts are described below. Streamlining the CalFresh Application Process and Program Coordination EBSD is continuing to modify its administrative practices to streamline the CalFresh application process and to ensure that all clients applying for public assistance are screened for CalFresh participation. In an effort to improve client access to services, a,

2 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Agenda Date: Deæmber 11, 2012 Title: REPORT ON CALFRESH OUTREACH AND PARTICIPATION Page intake practices in the Santa Cruz and Watsonville Application Centers will be redesigned to create a "no wrong door" access for clients applying for CalFresh and other public benefit services. The reconfigured Application Center reception areas will incorporate many client user-friendly features including a reception area navigator who will direct applicants to the services that best fits their needs and self help technology including computer and scanning stations. "Horizontal integration", an approach to screening applicants for all available services even if the application is only for one program, is being incorporated into EBSD intake practice. Now whenever a new application for either Medi-Cal or CalFresh is received, the applicant is screened for the other benefit as well. Similarly, EBSD is reaching out to existing Medi-Cal households through an "in-reach" effort by contacting currently assisted households during their annual recertification of eligibility to encourage enrollment in the CalFresh program. CalFresh Outreach Initiatives Since 2010, EBSD has developed and implemented new outreach strategies to promote CalFresh participation to specific target populations and the community at large. EBSD has updated all outreach materials and information, in print form or online, to emphasize the nutritional benefits of CalFresh and readily available application options. These include a one-page CalFresh flyer, a bi-monthly newsletter and a CalFresh Community Partners Toolkit and Resource Guide. These materials are posted to the Human Services Department's EBSD website, as well as the new Community Partners page, available on the web at Working with a consultant, EBSD has implemented a sustained outreach campaign targeting local seniors and students. Information about CalFresh has been provided through flyers in Grey Bears food bags, and presentations at senior mobile home parks and senior center congregate meal sites including the Watsonville Senior Center and the Live Oak Senior Center. EBSD has created a CalFresh Senior Outreach Advisory Committee, and has engaged the Seniors, Mobile Home and Human Services Commissions in identifying and developing outreach strategies. With the implementation of online CalFresh applications in 2010 through Benefits CaIWIN, Cabrillo and UC Santa Cruz registration and financial aid staff have been provided with an overview of the CalFresh program, and staff has presented CalFresh materials to students at orientation events at both campuses. The materials have also been disseminated through outreach at infç)rmational meetings targeting students at UC Santa Cruz and Cabrillo College. EBSD has also reviewed CalFresh outreach strategies practiced in other counties and has already implemented three of these practices, including the addition of the Community Partners web page, the publication of the Community Partners Toolkit, and providing CalFresh information at all Workforce Investment Board rapid response presentations to workers impacted by a layoff. Drawing on these practices, EBSD is developing marketing and messaging strategies that will assist staff in promoting the CalFresh program in initial and ongoing contacts with clients. ai

3 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Agenda Date: Deæmber 11,2012 Title: REPORT ON CALFRESH OUTREACH AND PARTICIPATION Coordination with Community Partners Page The CalFresh outreach effort is also conducted in partnership with EBSD's community partners. Through a contract with the Second Harvest Food Bank (Food Bank), bilingual outreach staff has been hired to provide CalFresh program and application information at all food distribution sites and periodically scheduled educational events. The Food Bank also staffs tables at the Santa Cruz and Watsonville farmers markets and provides application assistance at the EBSD Application Centers as well as the Career Centers in Watsonville and Santa Cruz. In addition, Food Bank staff conducts outreach at the Veteran's Center and to the faith-based community. As your Board is also aware, the Food Bank is also the lead partner in implementing the County's SNAP- Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education) program that provides nutrition education service to County families and individuals, and encourages healthier food choices. The Food Bank outreach staff also ensures that CalFresh information is provided at all SNAP-Ed presentations. The effort to increase CalFresh enrollment is supported through the Community Programs as well. Effective fiscal year all Community Programs have agreed to integrate CalFresh outreach into their program services by offering clients information and assistance with the Benefits CalWIN online application. This contract provision mirrors a similar provision that the Community Foundation has included in its grant agreements with local family resource centers and other grantees. To support this new Community Programs initiative, EBSD offered a workshop for community program agency staff on assisting clients with the Benefits CalWIN online application. Forty representatives of twelve Community Programs and nonprofits participated in the training (see attached). The Community Programs will report on their CalFresh outreach efforts semi-annually. In addition, the Santa Cruz Women's Health Center and Community Bridges' family resource centers are participating in the Central Coast Broadband Consortium's effort to promote broadband access among underrepresented and low-income County residents. Each site receives a computer and scanner that will be used to help families and individuals to apply for public benefits online and to access online job search resources. Participating agencies will report on the project each quarter. To link CalFresh participation with health initiatives, ESBD is also working with the Santa Cruz County Health Care Outreach Coalition. The Baby Gateway project, designed to ensure the enrollment of newborn babies in Medi-Cal, Healthy Families and Healthy Kids, has expanded to include CalFresh application assistance. Progress to Date and Next Steps The outreach strategies and system improvements described above are a reflection of EBSD's commitment to increase CalFresh participation in Santa Cruz County. While it is still early to measure the results of these enrollment strategies, initial results over the last two years are encouraging. Since November 2010 the number of non-assisted CalFresh participants has increased by 22%, senior enrollment has increased by 65% and enrollments of age participants has increased by 24% (see attached charts). 8,

4 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Agenda Date: Deæmber 11,2012 Title: REPORT ON CALFRESH OUTREACH AND PARTICIPATION Page Still, EBSD is exploring new strategies to expand CalFresh participation. With the realization of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), there will be opportunities to link the nutritional benefits of CalFresh to universal health care. New protocols are being put into place to screen Healthy Families enrollees for CalFresh when they are transferred to Medi-Cal in March 2013, and similar strategies will be implemented in January 2014 when new ACA referrals begin. EBSD will expand its work with healthcare providers and application assisters such as the Central California Alliance for Health and the Health Care Outreach Coalition to promote CalFresh participation utilizing Benefits CalWIN (see attached flyer) as part of the implementation of health care reform. In addition, a pilot project involving four counties working with local school districts is expected to be expanded in the next year and will provide additional outreach opportunities. The state has recently requested a three-year County Plan for increasing CalFresh enrollments to be submitted in early January. The strategies discussed above will be included in the plan, which will also set annual goals for increasing CalFresh enrollments for the next three years. Over the next six months EBSD will develop measures to track progress in achieving the annual goals, and to measure the effectiveness of the outreach strategies. The Human Services Department will continue to keep your Board apprised of progress in reaching the state plan goals and achieving increased CalFresh participation as part of the budget process and in the fiscal year Human Services Department Annual Report. IT IS THEREFORE RECOMMENDED that your Board accept and file this report on CalFresh outreach and participation. Very truly yours, dl~ qr7~wk CECILIA ESPINOLA Director PSUSAN A. MAURIELLO County Administrative Officer CE:CW:GM N:\Board_Letters\ \EBSD\CaIFresh\Report on CalFresh Outreach and Participation Attachments: CalFresh Program Growth Chart CalFresh Flyer (English & Spanish) Community Programs Participating in CalFresh Training cc: Second Harvest Food Bank Human Care Alliance ~.

5 e c: Santa Cruz County CalFresh Program Growth Chart November October ,000 All Individuals Receiving Non-Assistance CalFresh 20,000 15, m year increase of 22% I~-- 10,000 5,000 o ~ ~~~ ~ ~p~ p ö~p ~p ~~~ p pp~ ~ ~p ~ ~~~~~~,~ ~~~~~~~~~~,~ ~~~~ Individuals Aged 60 and Above Individuals Aged 18 to 21 1,100 1, I 2-year increase of 65% ~ ,:/,~r: ~'\'\ ~s'\.is'\ ~'\'\ r.''\'\ ~S'\ ~'\1- ~s1-.,s1- ~'\1- r.,'\1- ~o \7; ~7; ~7;'1 'IV: 'P' ~o \7; ~7; ~7;'1 'IV: 'P' 1,300 1,200 1,100 1, ~ ~~--1 2-year increase of 24% L ~o NSr: \7; ~'\'\ ~7; ~,'\'\ ~7;'1.IS'\ 'IV: ~'\'\ r.''\'\ 'P' ~S'\ ~o \7; ~'\1- ~7; ~S1- ~7;'1.,S1- ~'\1- 'IV: r.s1- e,e'c Note: "Non-Assistance" CalFresh counts exclude those who receive CalFresh as part of CalWORKs or other cash assistance payments. Source: CalWIN data Nov o Ṉi

6 Apply for Benefits. Online

7 Solicite Beneficios por el Internet 0273

8 01-1 '1 Attachment Community Programs and Nonprofits Participating in the Human Services Department's Benefits CalWIN Training October-November Community Action Board. EI Mercado Popular Resource Conservation District. Community Bridges. PVUSD Healthy Start Program. Salud Para La Gente. Santa Cruz Community Counseling Center. Santa Cruz County Office of Education Sueños Program. Santa Cruz Women's Health Center. Second Harvest Food Bank. Senior Network Services. United Way of Santa Cruz County. Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Program 8'