Will one-time rental assistance affect my CalFresh benefits or count as income?
I'm currently receiving CalFresh benefits and General Assistance (GA), and my apartment building just had a fire last week. Red Cross gave me some emergency assistance, but I need to apply for this rental assistance program through a local non-profit to help me get into a new place. The program would pay my security deposit ($1,800) and first month's rent ($2,250) directly to the landlord. I'm worried this might count as income and mess up my CalFresh or GA benefits when I report on my next SAR7. Has anyone dealt with this before? Do I need to report this as income even though it goes straight to the landlord? My benefits are already pretty tight and I can't afford any reduction.
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Genevieve Cavalier
u dont need 2 worry about that! i got rental assistance last year from catholic charities and it didnt count as income for calfresh. only money that comes 2 YOU counts as income. if it goes straight to ur landlord its not ur income
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Zane Hernandez
•That's a huge relief if true. The case worker helping me with the rental assistance application warned me it might affect my benefits but wasn't sure.
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Ethan Scott
The previous comment isn't entirely accurate. While rental assistance generally doesn't count as income for CalFresh, the rules can differ for General Assistance/GA programs, which vary by county. For CalFresh specifically, vendor payments (payments made directly to landlords) are excluded from countable income under most circumstances. However, you should still report it on your SAR7 and mark it as "non-recurring" assistance. For your GA benefits, I strongly recommend contacting your county worker to verify their specific rules. Some counties might count emergency housing assistance against your GA grant, while others exclude it.
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Lola Perez
•^^^THIS! always report everything even if u think it wont count. better safe than sorry cuz they WILL find out and then ur dealing with overpayment nightmares
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Nathaniel Stewart
I went through something similar after a flood damaged my apartment in 2023. The rental assistance I got (about $4,000 total) didn't affect my CalFresh benefits AT ALL. But it DID temporarily reduce my General Assistance for one month because my county (Alameda) counted it as a "resource" even though it went straight to the new landlord. Every county has different rules for GA though. What county are you in?
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Zane Hernandez
•I'm in Santa Clara County. That's exactly what I'm worried about - the GA getting reduced when I really need it most during this crisis. Did you have to pay back any benefits?
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Nathaniel Stewart
•No payback required, but they did reduce my GA check for just one month. Santa Clara might be different though - their GA program has different rules than Alameda.
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Riya Sharma
This is an important question that comes up frequently. Here's what you need to know: 1. For CalFresh: Non-recurring emergency/disaster assistance generally doesn't count as income when it's paid directly to a third party (your landlord). This is considered a "vendor payment" and is excluded from income calculations. 2. For General Assistance: Rules vary by county, but most California counties do NOT count emergency housing assistance as income if it's a one-time payment going directly to the landlord. Santa Clara County specifically excludes disaster-related assistance from income calculations for GA. 3. Reporting requirements: You MUST still report receiving this assistance on your SAR7 or recertification paperwork. Mark it clearly as emergency housing assistance related to disaster (the fire). 4. Documentation: Keep copies of the approval letter from the non-profit showing the payment was for disaster-related housing and that it went directly to the landlord. The key here is that this is both emergency/disaster-related AND a vendor payment, which puts it in the excluded category for most benefit programs.
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Zane Hernandez
•Thank you so much for this detailed explanation! I'll definitely keep all the documentation showing it was for the fire emergency and that payments went directly to the landlord. This makes me feel a lot better about accepting the assistance.
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Santiago Diaz
UGH the whole system is designed to TRAP people!!! I got rental assistance last year and they cut my CalFresh by $200/month even though the money went STRAIGHT to my landlord!!! When I tried calling the county to fix it, I was on hold for 3+ HOURS before being disconnected. TWICE!!! They're DELIBERATELY making it impossible to get help. This system is BROKEN!!!
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Millie Long
•That sounds really frustrating. Did you ever get through to anyone? I've had similar issues trying to reach my county worker about verification documents - the phone system is practically unusable.
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Millie Long
I've been dealing with this exact situation recently. After days of trying to reach someone at the county office with no luck, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person in about 10 minutes. They basically wait on hold for you and call you back when a worker picks up. Saved me hours of frustration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 and their website is claimyr.com. The worker I spoke to confirmed that my disaster rental assistance wouldn't affect my CalFresh and explained exactly how to document it on my SAR7.
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Genevieve Cavalier
•does it cost money? sounds 2 good 2 be true lol
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Lola Perez
am i the only one who thinks its insane we gotta worry about getting HELP after a FIRE?? like how messed up is that? "oh your house burned down here's help but also we might cut your food money" what a joke
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Zane Hernandez
•I know right? I'm already stressed enough dealing with finding a new place and replacing everything I lost. Having to worry about losing benefits on top of it feels cruel.
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Nathaniel Stewart
•Totally agree. And every worker gives different answers! My friend got the same rental assistance as me (we were in the same building that flooded) but HER benefits weren't affected at all. Makes no sense.
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Ethan Scott
Since you mentioned this was due to a fire, make sure to specify this is DISASTER-related emergency assistance on your paperwork. There are specific exemptions for disaster assistance that might not apply to regular rental assistance programs. Also, request a letter from the non-profit stating this is a one-time vendor payment related to a disaster. Having this documentation ready before you submit your SAR7 can prevent misunderstandings that lead to incorrect benefit reductions.
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Zane Hernandez
•That's excellent advice. I'll definitely get that letter from them. Should I wait until my next regular SAR7 reporting period or report this change sooner?
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Paolo Moretti
•You should report it within 10 days of receiving the assistance, even if it's before your regular SAR7 period. Changes in circumstances need to be reported promptly, but since this is likely excluded income anyway, reporting it early with proper documentation will actually protect you from any potential issues later.
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