| Title: |
Many California Community College Students Are Eligible For--but Not Receiving--CalFresh Benefits |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Jennifer Hogg; Sam Ayers; Johanna Lacoe; Alan Perez; Jesse Rothstein; California Policy Lab (CPL); Community College Research Center (CCRC), Accelerating Recovery in Community Colleges (ARCC) Network |
| Source: |
California Policy Lab. 2024. |
| Availability: |
California Policy Lab. 2521 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94720. e-mail: info@capolicylab.org; Web site: https://capolicylab.org/ |
| Peer Reviewed: |
Y |
| Page Count: |
16 |
| Publication Date: |
2024 |
| Sponsoring Agency: |
Institute of Education Sciences (ED); Spencer Foundation |
| Contract Number: |
R305A220451; R305X220022 |
| Document Type: |
Reports - Research |
| Education Level: |
Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges |
| Descriptors: |
Community College Students; Hunger; Food; State Programs; Welfare Services; Nutrition; Low Income Students; Student Participation; Student Financial Aid; Eligibility; Social Services |
| Geographic Terms: |
California |
| Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: |
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) |
| Abstract: |
Food insecurity is widespread among college students in the United States. Food benefits delivered through the CalFresh program, California's version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), can reduce hunger by helping students pay for groceries but may not reach all eligible students. To date, higher education systems have lacked good estimates of the share of students who are eligible for CalFresh and the share who actually receive benefits. Using a linked database of student-level administrative data on college enrollment, financial aid, and CalFresh participation, in this brief we estimate how many California community college (CCC) students are eligible for CalFresh, how many students are taking up those benefits, and how many are missing out. We estimate that in fall 2019, 22% of CCC students (346,000 students) were likely eligible for CalFresh benefits. However, the majority of these students did not receive benefits--only 26% (88,000) of eligible community college students actually participated in CalFresh. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| IES Funded: |
Yes |
| Entry Date: |
2025 |
| Accession Number: |
ED665678 |
| Database: |
ERIC |