Code for America and the state of California announced a partnership Wednesday to expand the GetCalFresh program across the state.
Code for America built the mobile version of GetCalFresh.org two years ago. The platform reduced the application time for California’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) from 45 minutes to eight.
An estimated 2 million Californians who are eligible for California’s CalFresh/SNAP program are not participating, and Code for America wants to change what it calls a “participation gap.”
“For public servants and social workers in counties across the state, GetCalFresh is an entirely new window into the barriers people face while navigating the system." the Code for America blog reads. "Working to remove barriers with our digital tools, we are ensuring our partners have timely, relevant data to help them drive continuous improvement in government operations and policy.”
Code for America is “the nation’s first software-driven SNAP Outreach partner” according to the blog.
Similar SNAP Outreach contracts have been awarded to community-based organizations, the blog notes.
The Code for America team is hiring team members and building an advisory team to streamline the process.
