[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-584711-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":79,"doc-detail-584711-en":129},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":72,"head_meta":74,"extra_data":76,"updated_unix":78},105,"en","connecting-community-college-students-to-snap-benefits-lessons-learned-from-a-pilot-outreach-intervention-in-california","Connecting Community College Students to SNAP Benefits - Lessons Learned from a Pilot Outreach Intervention in California","","Before the pandemic, many eligible college students did not access SNAP benefits due to confusion about federal eligibility requirements. Even when pandemic exemptions temporarily expanded access, many students remained unaware. A pilot with Compton College used low-cost, text-based nudges to deliver timely, relevant CalFresh information to potentially eligible students. The intervention also drew insights from surveys and focus groups on food insecurity, benefits use, and perceptions, highlighting actionable strategies for effective outreach and improved targeting systems.",{"@graph":14,"@context":71},[15,34,54],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/","Healthcare",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/connecting-community-college-students-to-snap-benefits-lessons-learned-from-a-pilot-outreach-intervention-in-california/584711/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":48,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":49,"interactionStatistic":50},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/connecting-community-college-students-to-snap-benefits-lessons-learned-from-a-pilot-outreach-intervention-in-california/584711.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Damian","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":51,"interactionType":52,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":53},"ViewAction",{"@type":55,"mainEntity":56},"FAQPage",[57,63,67],{"name":58,"@type":59,"acceptedAnswer":60},"Why did many eligible students not use SNAP benefits before the pandemic?","Question",{"text":61,"@type":62},"Many did not access SNAP because of confusion around federal eligibility requirements and a lack of awareness about temporary exemptions during the pandemic.","Answer",{"name":64,"@type":59,"acceptedAnswer":65},"What intervention did Compton College pilot to improve CalFresh outreach?",{"text":66,"@type":62},"Compton College implemented a low-cost, text-based nudging approach to send timely and relevant CalFresh information to potentially eligible students.",{"name":68,"@type":59,"acceptedAnswer":69},"What lesson does the report highlight about campus-based resources?",{"text":70,"@type":62},"Even when students used some campus supports, many struggled to find information about other supports and hesitated to seek help, citing embarrassment, uncertainty, and miscommunication during eligibility and application 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\nMarch 2022  \nPaula Umaña, Motunrayo Olaniyan, Sarah Magnelia, and Vanessa Coca  \nBefore the pandemic, millions of college students eligible for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) did not access the benefit.1 This gap between eligibility for SNAP benefits and the use of those benefits is often a result of confusion around federal eligibility requirements.2 Even when eligibility guidelines were temporarily changed to include new exemptions during the pandemic to make it easier for more students to access SNAP, many had no idea they were now eligible to receive benefits.3 This has serious implications for students’ lives as food insecurity can influence their well-being and academic success.  \nCollege staff around the country are working diligently to inform students of these changes and connect them to SNAP benefits. California in particular has made significant strides in expanding eligibility and access to public support programs to reduce basic needs insecurity among college students. For instance, colleges in California have used additional state funding to conduct outreach to students about SNAP benefits, known locally as CalFresh.4 Yet, there remains a gap between students experiencing food insecurity and those using food supports like CalFresh. The pandemic has shown that traditional approaches to college outreach, such as the use of flyers, posters, and word-of-mouth, are no longer effective strategies when fewer students are on campus.  \nWith support from the Michelson 20MM Foundation, The Hope Center partnered with Compton College to pilot a low-cost intervention that used text-based nudging to provide timely and relevant information about CalFresh.5 During the fall of 2021, we identified 1,539 Compton College students who may be eligible for CalFresh. Approximately one-third of these students received empowering and stigmareducing, or “attuned,” text messages about CalFresh benefits. Another one-third received texts with basic information on how to sign-up for these benefits. A sub-sample of students was surveyed to assess their experiences with food insecurity, use of public and campus benefits, and impressions of the text messages.6  \nIn this brief, we share lessons from the pilot intervention at Compton College. In addition, we review findings from focus groups with other community college students throughout California and meetings with community organizations that help connect students to SNAP benefits.7 Practitioners should consider these lessons when conducting outreach to students about SNAP and similar benefits.  \nLessons Learned  \nLesson \\#1: Although all students used at least one campus-based resource, some had trouble finding information about certain campus supports and felt hesitant to visit on-campus food pantries and  \nother offices to ask for help.  \nIn the pilot intervention at Compton College, we surveyed a subset of 49 study participants. All students surveyed used at least one campus-based resource such as emergency aid, wi-fi hotspots, counseling services, or meal vouchers.8 About three in four students who used only one or two resources were unaware of the other supports (Figure 1). Two-thirds of the students did not know how to apply for these resources and half felt that others needed the supports more than they did.9 Students from the focus groups expressed hesitance to reach out to college staff because of feelings of embarrassment and uncertainty about where to go for information they could trust. Students spoke about miscommunication or no communication about possible benefits available to them, confusing eligibility requirements, and missteps during the application process that caused delays in receipt of benefits.  \nFIGURE 1 | REASONS WHY STUDENTS DID NOT USE CAMPUS-BASED RESOURCES  \nSource | 2021 Compton College CalFresh Pilot Outreach Study-S","cbCaifIcENggjrvE","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaifIcENggjrvE","pdf",1883810,11,"English","# Lessons Learned\n## Lesson 1\n## Lesson 2","[{\"question\":\"Why did many eligible students not use SNAP benefits before the pandemic?\",\"answer\":\"Many did not access SNAP because of confusion around federal eligibility requirements and a lack of awareness about temporary exemptions during the pandemic.\"},{\"question\":\"What intervention did Compton College pilot to improve CalFresh outreach?\",\"answer\":\"Compton College implemented a low-cost, text-based nudging approach to send timely and relevant CalFresh information to potentially eligible students.\"},{\"question\":\"What lesson does the report highlight about campus-based resources?\",\"answer\":\"Even when students used some campus supports, many struggled to find information about other supports and hesitated to seek help, citing embarrassment, uncertainty, and miscommunication during eligibility and application processes.\"}]","Connecting Community College Students to SNAP Benefits - Lessons Learned from a Pilot Outreach Intervention in California | PDF",28]