CalFresh vs. General Relief amounts in San Bernardino County 2025?

General Relief in San Bernardino County is around $380/month for a single individual in 2025, but it's considered a loan that you'll need to repay when you get back on your feet. It's meant to be very temporary assistance. As for CalFresh, applying for GR shouldn't reduce your food benefits since GR is counted as unearned income but CalFresh has special rules for how they count it.

I got general relief in SB county last year and its actually $391 now I think?? BUT you have to do workfare hours or they cut you off!! Nobody told me this and i lost my benefits after 2 months because I missed some stupid appointment. The CalFresh office and GR office dont talk to eachother at ALL so you have to report everything twice its so annoying. And they take FOREVER to process applications omg

Just want to clarify something important - General Relief is NOT administered by the same division that handles CalFresh. In San Bernardino County, you'll need to apply separately through the Transitional Assistance Department (TAD). While both programs are under the same department, they have different eligibility workers and requirements. The current GR amount for San Bernardino is $391 for single individuals with the following requirements: 1. Must participate in job search activities 2. Must meet with eligibility worker monthly 3. Must repay the county when able 4. Resource limit of $1,000 And yes, this is actual cash assistance, not EBT like CalFresh.

If your trying to get more food assistance have you considered going to food banks instead of GR? The food banks in San Bernardino are actually pretty good. I go to one by the community college twice a month and get fresh produce and sometimes even meat. Way less paperwork than dealing with another govt program!

If you're struggling with getting through to San Bernardino County to ask about General Relief or managing your CalFresh case, try using Claimyr. I was stuck on hold for HOURS trying to talk to someone about my benefits, but Claimyr got me through to a real person in about 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 and their website is claimyr.com. Saved me a ton of frustration when I needed to ask specific questions about my eligibility that weren't on the website.

JUST A WARNING: If you get General Relief they will make you apply for disability if they think you might qualify. My brother got GR last year and they forced him to apply for SSI even tho he didnt want to. Then they took most of his backpay when he got approved! Its such a scam!!!!!

Thanks everyone for the info! I'm going to think about this more before applying for GR. The workfare requirements might be hard with my current situation, and I didn't realize it was a loan. Might try to increase my CalFresh instead - does anyone know if I can request a benefit recalculation if my rent went up? That might help more than dealing with a whole new program.

i was on GR in san bernardino last year and it was exactly $391 but they take out money if u have ANY income even like $20 from returning bottles. they also make u do this thing called WEX where u gotta work for free for the county for like 20hrs a month. its better than nothing but barely covers anything tbh

OMG I just remembered! If youre getting CalFresh in SB County and u need a phone they also have the free LifeLine phone program!! You get a decent smartphone with like 5GB data and unlimited talk/text. At least thats something extra you could get while figuring out the GR stuff

Just wanted to add some perspective as someone who's been through both programs - I had CalFresh and GR at the same time about 6 months ago. The GR application process in San Bernardino took about 3 weeks, and yes they do make you sign paperwork acknowledging it's a loan. The workfare (WEX) program isn't too bad if you can get assigned to something close to where you live, but the transportation can be an issue. One thing nobody mentioned is that they also require you to check in with CalJOBS (the state job search website) regularly and document your job search activities. If you miss any of these requirements, they'll terminate your benefits pretty quickly. Honestly, reporting your rent increase to CalFresh first is probably the smarter move - way less headache and it won't affect your other benefits.

I went through a similar situation last year! Definitely report that rent increase to CalFresh first - it's way easier and faster than dealing with GR. When I reported my rent going up $150, my CalFresh benefits increased by about $85/month, which helped a lot. For GR, just know that the workfare requirements are pretty strict - you have to do those WEX hours every month or they'll cut you off immediately. And yeah, it really is a loan that you'll have to pay back eventually. If you're already getting $231 in CalFresh, the rent increase reporting might get you closer to what you need without all the extra paperwork and requirements that come with GR.

Hey! I'm in a similar situation - got CalFresh but it's not covering everything I need. Reading through all these responses, it sounds like reporting your rent increase to CalFresh is definitely the way to go first. The GR program seems really complicated with all the workfare requirements and the fact that it's actually a loan you have to pay back. I had no idea about that! Also didn't know they could make you apply for disability if they think you qualify. That's a lot of strings attached for $391/month. Have you tried calling the CalFresh office yet to ask about reporting the rent increase? From what everyone's saying, that could bump up your benefits significantly without all the GR hassle.

I'm new to this community but wanted to share what I learned when I was in a similar situation. I agree with everyone saying to report your rent increase to CalFresh first - that's definitely the easiest path forward. When I did this last year, my benefits went up by about $73/month which really helped stretch my food budget. One thing I wanted to add about General Relief - if you do decide to pursue it later, make sure you understand ALL the requirements upfront. The county workers don't always explain everything clearly during the application process. I'd recommend asking specifically about the WEX workfare hours, the job search documentation requirements, and exactly how the loan repayment works. Also ask if there are any exemptions from workfare if you have transportation issues or health problems. The food bank suggestion from Zara is solid too - many of them now offer delivery or pickup services if transportation is an issue. Some even partner with rideshare programs for people without cars. It might be worth calling around to see what options are available in your area while you're waiting for the CalFresh benefit increase to process.

Hey Joshua! I'm also in San Bernardino County and went through this exact decision last year. Based on everything shared here, I'd definitely recommend reporting your rent increase to CalFresh first - it's so much simpler than dealing with GR. When I reported my rent going up $180, my CalFresh benefits increased by about $78/month, which made a real difference. If you do decide to look into GR later, just be prepared for a lot of requirements they don't always explain clearly upfront. You'll need to do workfare hours (usually cleaning county buildings or parks), meet monthly with a worker, document job searches, and they can make you apply for disability if they think you qualify. Plus it really is a loan you'll have to pay back eventually. For the CalFresh rent increase, you can report it through BenefitsCal online or by calling your worker. It usually processes within 10 days if you have all the documentation. Way easier than starting a whole new program! Good luck!

I'm new to this community but have been reading through everyone's experiences and wanted to share what I learned when I was in a similar situation. I totally agree with everyone saying to report your rent increase to CalFresh first - that's definitely the path of least resistance! When I reported my rent going up $200 last year, my CalFresh benefits increased by about $89/month, which made a huge difference in my grocery budget. The process was pretty straightforward through BenefitsCal - I just had to upload a copy of my new lease or a letter from my landlord showing the increased rent amount. The General Relief program sounds way more complicated than I initially thought based on everyone's experiences here. The workfare requirements, loan repayment, and all the bureaucracy involved make it seem like a lot of hassle for $391/month. Plus the fact that they can require you to apply for disability and then take your backpay is something I definitely wouldn't have known about without reading this thread. I'd also second the suggestion about checking out local food banks while you're waiting for your CalFresh increase to process. Some of them have really stepped up their programs - I found one that does mobile distributions right in my neighborhood twice a month, so transportation isn't an issue. It's been a great supplement to my CalFresh benefits without any of the paperwork headaches!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this community and have been following this discussion with a lot of interest. I'm actually in a very similar situation to Joshua - getting CalFresh but struggling to make it cover all my food costs, and I had no idea that reporting rent increases could boost your benefits! This thread has been incredibly eye-opening. Based on everything I've read here, it sounds like the General Relief program has way more strings attached than I initially thought - the workfare requirements, loan repayment, forced disability applications, and all the bureaucratic hoops you have to jump through. The fact that it's actually a loan you have to pay back is something I definitely wouldn't have known without reading everyone's experiences. I'm definitely going to look into reporting my own rent increase to CalFresh first, since that seems like the most straightforward solution. My rent went up $150 a few months ago and I had no idea I could report that for a potential benefit increase. Does anyone know if there's a time limit on how far back you can report rent changes, or should I report it as soon as possible even though the increase happened a while ago? Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is such a valuable resource for navigating these complex programs!

Hi Joshua! I'm new to this community but wanted to chime in after reading through everyone's helpful responses. I actually went through a very similar situation about 8 months ago - was getting CalFresh but it wasn't covering all my food needs, and I was considering General Relief too. Based on my experience and everything shared here, I'd definitely recommend reporting your rent increase to CalFresh first before considering GR. When I reported my rent going up $175, my CalFresh benefits increased by about $82/month, which made a huge difference! The process was pretty straightforward - I just uploaded my new lease through BenefitsCal and it processed within about a week. The General Relief program really does have a lot of strings attached that they don't always explain clearly upfront. The workfare requirements can be challenging if you don't have reliable transportation, and the fact that it's actually a loan you'll need to repay is definitely something to consider carefully. Plus all the job search documentation and monthly check-ins add a lot of administrative burden. I'd also suggest looking into local food pantries while you're waiting for any benefit changes to process. Some in San Bernardino County have really good fresh produce programs that can help supplement your grocery budget without any paperwork hassles. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Hi Joshua! I'm new to this community but have been reading through all the great advice everyone's shared. I was in a very similar situation about 6 months ago - getting CalFresh but struggling to cover all my food costs, and I was also considering applying for General Relief. After reading everyone's experiences here, I'd definitely echo what others have said about reporting your rent increase to CalFresh first. When I reported my rent going up $165, my benefits increased by about $76/month, which really helped stretch my grocery budget. The process was much simpler than I expected - just had to submit documentation through BenefitsCal and it processed in about 10 days. The General Relief program sounds way more complicated than I initially realized. The workfare requirements, loan repayment aspect, and all the bureaucratic requirements that people have mentioned would have been deal-breakers for me. Plus the fact that they can make you apply for disability and then recover money from your backpay is something I never would have known about without reading this thread. I'd also suggest checking out some of the mobile food pantries in San Bernardino County while you're waiting for any benefit changes to process. Some of them have really stepped up their programs and can help bridge the gap without any paperwork headaches. Good luck with whatever you decide - sounds like you have some great options to explore before dealing with the GR complications!

Hi Joshua! I'm new to this community but have been reading through all the helpful advice everyone's shared. Based on everything I've learned here, I'd definitely recommend reporting your rent increase to CalFresh first - it sounds like that could potentially solve your problem without all the complications that come with General Relief. I had no idea before reading this thread that rent increases could boost your CalFresh benefits! The experiences people have shared about getting $70-90/month increases from rent bumps of $150-200 sound really promising for your situation. And the processing time of 1-2 weeks that people mentioned is way better than dealing with all the GR requirements. The General Relief program sounds much more complicated than I initially thought - the workfare hours, loan repayment, forced disability applications, and all the bureaucratic hoops seem like a lot of hassle for $391/month. Plus the fact that it's actually a loan you have to pay back eventually is something I definitely wouldn't have known without reading everyone's experiences. I'd also suggest looking into the food banks and mobile pantries that people mentioned while you're waiting for any CalFresh changes to process. It sounds like San Bernardino County has some good options that could help bridge the gap without any paperwork headaches. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is such a valuable resource for navigating these complex benefit programs! Good luck Joshua - sounds like you have some great options to explore before dealing with the GR complications.