by Kenyota G.
Living on a fixed income in one of the many Single Room Occupancies (SROs), Senior Assisted Living Units, or in a navigation center can prove challenging. At no time has that challenge become more manifest than recently with passage of H.R. 1—Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Act.” That act contained wording that eliminated the federal government’s responsibility for providing 100% of the costs for CalFresh recipients. As of June 1, 2026, the federal government reduced its monthly allotment to single CalFresh recipients from $298 to $146—slightly less than half from before. And for those individuals who depend on CalFresh—particularly, seniors, children, unemployed and homeless people—they must survive on less than $5 per day.
This raises so many questions. Why does the passage of a federal budget bill so greatly affect my ability to provide enough food to live on? Why would anyone reasonably believe that such a reduction would be for the greater good? Why are so many unaware of such a widespread crisis? And more importantly, what steps should our elected officials take to solve this problem? As a CalFresh recipient dependent on its assistance, these questions have tremendous importance and it is my hope that this article will ignite the curiosity of others receiving CalFresh assistance and become a sounding bell for a call to action to become active in addressing their elected officials that the need for action is immediately imperative.
After more than a decade of chronic homelessness throughout the Bay Area, I have used City resources to obtain and maintain stable housing in San Francisco. After being housed for more than three years, I’ve accomplished goals which would have been both daunting and improbable while unhoused. Disability has made me unable to work, so I survive on CalFresh benefits and General Assistance. When I heard about H.R. 1 moving through Congress, I went to a community meeting and immediately became concerned about its provisions. The work requirements, the elimination of exemptions to previously protected recipients, and the possibility of the state being unable to make up for the shortfall prompted me to inform people of the ramifications of H.R. 1 becoming law.
Shortly thereafter, Congress passed the bill after several weeks of a government shutdown and Donald Trump’s threats to starve Californians by withholding federal funds to Democrat-led states. San Francisco lawmakers took this threat seriously enough to allow distribution of gift cards in the amount of one month’s worth of CalFresh benefits. However, no one said a thing about the amount of benefits being reduced. The media stayed quiet on the issue; officeholders and political candidates never mentioned it, leaving thousands of people shocked when two-thirds of our benefits disappeared overnight. After working out the math, I found that I need to survive on $5 a day. My inability to work added to this crisis, and what a crisis it has become!
Since my benefits were slashed, I have had to live on approximately one prepared meal a day. To make things worse, Trump’s trade tariffs caused such a spike in food prices that my $146 was swallowed in one trip to the store.This food shortage has lowered my energy levels and left me vulnerable to health problems. It also left me believing that politicians are avoiding the issue: I haven’t heard candidates say anything in gubernatorial primary debates on how the state could address the needs of CalFresh recipients. The state legislature has also been slow to act.
This should not be! A 50% reduction in benefits reducing people to just one meal a day is outrageous and un-American. Contact your local electeds and pressure them to enact legislation that will put more food on the table for California families. At the same time, let’s urge them to create a platform for solutions to end this food crisis—and prevent future crises from recurring.
