October 25, 2017 – As a result of the recent McCourtney and Lobo fires, the President made a declaration of Individual Assistance (IA) for Nevada County, which allowed the Department of Social Services to request the State to submit a waiver to operate Disaster CalFresh (D-CalFresh) benefits in Nevada County.
The Disaster CalFresh program is designed to help provide additional food assistance to households that have been affected by disaster situations. To be eligible to D-CalFresh, a household must have experienced at least one of the following adverse effects as a result of the disaster: loss of income, (including reduction, termination or delay in receipt due to the disaster); inaccessible liquid resources (i.e.: banks are closed during the disaster); or deductible/allowable disaster related expenses (including out of pocket household expenses paid that are not expected to be reimbursed during the D-CalFresh period). The program has higher income limits than the standard CalFresh program and assists individuals and families who may not currently be recipients of Cal-Fresh benefits. D-CalFresh gives households a one-time benefit of the maximum allotment of CalFresh for their household size. If eligible, a household of 2 would receive $352 in CalFresh benefits, and a household of 4 would receive $640.
Applications for the Disaster CalFresh program can be made at the Department of Social Services from Wednesday, October 25th through Wednesday, November 1st only. Both the 950 Maidu Ave, Nevada City and 10075 Levon Ave, Suite 202, Truckee locations will offer Disaster CalFresh application assistance Monday – Friday from 8:00 AM-5:00 PM during the application period. The Nevada City office will also accept applications Saturday, October 28th from 9:00AM – 3:00PM. Applications may also be submitted online at C4Yourself.com during this period. In addition to our Nevada County residents, affected individuals who may be in our local area who were relocated from Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, and Yuba counties due to the recent fires may also apply for D-CalFresh at our local offices. A face-to-face interview with eligibility staff is required to apply for D-CalFresh.
Households already receiving CalFresh benefits may also be eligible to receive a Disaster CalFresh supplement. This supplement will assist to bring their benefit amount up to the maximum allotment if they are not already receiving the maximum benefits for their household size. CalFresh recipients residing in the 95946, 95959, and 95975 zip codes will automatically receive this supplement. Those residing in other areas should contact their worker to request to apply for this supplement.
For more information about the Disaster CalFresh program contact, or specialized programs currently in effect due to the recent fires, please contact the Nevada County Department of Social Services at (530) 265-1340 or Sara Connor, Program Manager, at Sara.Connor@co.nevada.ca.us.