At the University of California, Irvine, the basic needs center offers a food pantry, housing support and more to meet students’ basic needs.
Photo: UCI Basic Needs Center
Few college students participate in the state’s CalFresh food program despite being eligible, according to a report published Tuesday by the University of California’s California Policy Lab.
The report, “Filling the Gap: CalFresh Eligibility Among University of California and California Community College Students,” is the first to link together datasets that provide estimates on the number of California college students who are eligible for CalFresh, the state’s food benefits program, in addition to their take-up rate — the share of students who are eligible and also participate in the program.
The report’s authors found that CalFresh eligibility and students’ subsequent enrollment in the program depended significantly on which…
