St. Louise Helps Struggling Father Submit Expedited CalFresh Application

In March 2022, I received a telephone call from one of our Medi-Cal clients. From the beginning of our call, the client expressed frustration due to the loss of income because of COVID-19 layoffs. He continued to tell me that he was having a hard time dealing with debts because they never had this type of financial strain before. “There are so many expenses, and managing a home and a family of six is extremely hard” he exclaimed. From the initial call, he did express a great need for food. I offered other resources, but he was humble to say that all he needed was food to feed his children. He did mention how he was hesitant to obtain any assistance from Government sources, because he did not want to owe the Government anything. He also expressed how he had heard so many different stories of having to pay the Government back. However, after reassuring the client and offering to assist with a CalFresh application, he agreed to do whatever he needed to do to enroll.

As I continued to work with this client and explain the process for a CalFresh application and what CalFresh consists of, he was more assured to apply. I went over the required list of documents for all family members and advised him that the sooner he submitted documents over to me, the faster I was going to be able to complete his application. Within 24 hours, the client emailed all documents needed and I was able to get him an appointment and successfully process and submit an expedited application. I also advised the client that we were going to write a brief statement explaining his current loss of employment and income. By sending this statement letter, it would facilitate any caseworker who reviews his case and his current hardship situation. After completing the family application and knowing the family’s hardship, I continuously checked the status of his application. Thankfully, the application was processed and approved within 24 hours. The client was able to pick up his EBT card from the local DPSS office, and was able to purchase food the same day.

The expedited application processing and approval time was a tremendous success for a family of six and StLRS as well. The client was grateful, and he continuously kept saying “thank you, thank you”. He explained that calling StLRS had been his best experience, especially the assistance with walking him through the entire process. I advised the client that we would continue to provide support to him and his family if he needed it, and also informed him that a renewal for his case is required to be done every six months. The client inquired what he could do for helping him, and we shared that he could refer our services to his friends, family, neighbors and anyone who might need assistance.