Barriers to CalFresh for Applicants Experiencing Homelessness
This report analyzes the specific obstacles that unhoused individuals face when attempting to enroll in CalFresh (California's SNAP program).
The research draws on quantitative data from 62,000 applicants without stable housing and qualitative insights from approximately 40 in-depth interviews.
The findings reveal that most unhoused applicants are staying temporarily with friends or family, rather than in traditional shelters or outdoors, yet they face severe structural barriers in the benefits system. Specifically, applicants without a fixed address are 24% more likely to be denied benefits due to missing verification documents—such as physical IDs—than applicants with stable housing.
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