Mayor Lurie Signs Legislation to Support San Francisco Families After Federal Government Shutdown Disrupts SNAP Benefits
News Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today signed legislation to support 112,000 San Francisco kids, families, and workers receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits after those benefits were disrupted by the federal government shutdown. The legislation will authorize the use of $9.1 million in city funding that Mayor Lurie proposed last month with the unanimous support of the Board of Supervisors—using funding reserved in this year’s budget to navigate uncertainty in the state and federal budgets.
Since San Franciscans began receiving letters last week, more than 40,000 households—nearly 50% of those eligible families—have accessed their benefits, totaling nearly $9 million in food assistance distributed.
“Over the past two weeks, 112,000 San Franciscans who rely on SNAP have been told repeatedly that they would finally get the assistance they need—but Washington denied them again and again. In San Francisco, we have had our families’ backs the whole time,” said Mayor Lurie. “In partnership with the Crankstart Foundation, and with the unanimous support of the Board of Supervisors, we have distributed millions of dollars in critical food assistance to help San Francisco families put food on the table. As I sign this legislation, I am inspired to see our city coming together again.”
San Francisco partnered with Crankstart to create a public-private partnership with $18 million to support nearly 112,000 San Franciscans facing food insecurity. Through a pro-bono partnership with GiveCard and the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, the funding supported a one-time emergency aid strategy to ensure San Francisco families can access food assistance and buy groceries during the federal shutdown.
Over the past week, San Franciscans who are enrolled in SNAP (CalFresh) received instructions to access digital or physical prepaid cards that were pre-loaded with funds to be used at grocery stores citywide. The program is being administered by the San Francisco Human Services Agency (SFHSA) and until today’s release of $9.1 million, SFHSA authorized use of funds to get the program running quickly to ensure there were no gaps.
For support activating a virtual or physical grocery cards, households can reach out to SFHSA’s CalFresh team at (855) 355-5757. Additional support is available for families with children through the city’s family resource centers and for seniors or adults with disabilities through aging and disability resource centers.
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