SB 1254 (The FRESH Act) connects incarcerated individuals with vital services such as CalFresh and other resources prior to release in order to increase the success of re-entry.
Sacramento, CA— Today, the Senate Public Safety Committee passed The FRESH Act (SB 1254), authored by Senator Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park). This bill allows and assists incarcerated individuals to pre-apply for CalFresh benefits 90 days prior to their release in order to better prepare them for a more successful re-entry. It taps into underutilized federal funding that supports CalFresh and expands access for individuals that would otherwise qualify for it without imposing any additional costs to the state. This bill also creates a workgroup within the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to create a statewide, uniform process for re-entry for all incarcerated individuals.
“Expanding and streamlining access to benefits and programs for which incarcerated individuals already qualify increases the success of their re-entry,” said Becker. “We need to employ every option we have to ensure that the re-entry process is as seamless as possible. The FRESH Act connects people to vital services and fresh foods, making it easier to transition into their community, all while utilizing existing federal resources ”
Food insecurity is one of the most challenging hurdles that previously-incarcerated individuals face upon re-entry. In 2019, roughly 1 in 5 formerly incarcerated people suffered from food insecurity. While there is already an existing re-entry enrollment process for Medi-Cal and other benefits, there are no equivalent enrollment processes for CalFresh and other supportive services.
Removing these barriers to necessary services will increase the likelihood of a successful re-entry for a previously-incarcerated individual and maximize utilization of a federally-funded program that benefits California.
The FRESH Act creates this process for these programs and removes unnecessary barriers to re-entry. In doing so, it helps reduce food insecurity in California and builds upon existing work in connecting individuals with state services in an effective manner, and also does further work to clear a path to re-entry.
The FRESH Act is sponsored by Legal Services for Prisoners with Children-All of Us or None and Nourish California, and is supported by Justice in Aging, the California Association of Food Banks, Second Harvest Silicon Valley, and more.
It now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for its consideration.