TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Jennifer Yasumoto, Director of Health and Human Services Agency
REPORT BY: Jennifer Ivancie, Staff Services Analyst
SUBJECT: Agreement No. 270210B with Community Health Initiative
RECOMMENDATION
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Approve and authorize Agreement No. 270210B with Community Health Initiative for a contract maximum of $40,000 for the term November 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 to provide targeted CalFresh outreach and retention services to Napa County residents impacted by reinstated CalFresh Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents work requirements. (Fiscal Impact: $40,000 Expense; Budgeted; Not General Fund)
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BACKGROUND
Effective June 1, 2026, federal rule changes enacted under H.R. 1 ended the statewide waiver for the CalFresh Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) time limit. Consequently, Napa County residents aged 18-64 who are classified as ABAWD are now strictly limited to receiving only three months of CalFresh benefits within a 36-month period, unless they meet the work/volunteer requirements or qualify for an exemption.
This policy change creates a risk of benefit loss for vulnerable local residents who may be unaware of the tracking rules or how to comply. To prevent significant case churn and protect food security, proactive community-based outreach is required to engage individuals subject to ABAWD requirements, guide them through reporting compliance or exempt status, and maintain enrollment in the program.
While HHSA is able to support CalFresh recipients, the goal is to supplement our outreach by contracting with Community Health Initiative (CHI). CHI will conduct targeted phone and on-site CalFresh outreach and retention services focusing specifically on households impacted by the reinstated federal ABAWD work requirements, outreach to individuals at risk of hitting their 3-month benefit time limit, or have been discontinued from benefits. Services include verifying contact information, educating clients on maintaining eligibility, assisting with BenefitsCal, and recording all tracking data into CalSAWS in accordance with county Personally Identifiable Information (PII) standards.
Without CHI providing dedicated outreach for renewals and discontinuances, Self Sufficiency Services (SSS) will lack the capacity to reach the target households as effectively as desired. This will result in many low-income residents losing vital nutritional assistance, while also creating administrative bottlenecks and backlogs for internal county staff as beneficiaries attempt to re-enroll in the program. CHI is particularly well suited for this partnership, given HHSA’s existing contract with CHI to support Medi-Cal retention. Leveraging this established relationship makes strategic sense, and this partnership makes sense, since many clients are enrolled in both programs.
Embedding CHI staff into the CalFresh retention pipeline allows SSS staff to systematically target 'at-risk' cases before they drop off the program, which historically reduces administrative costs associated with processing entirely new applications.
Requested action:
Approve and authorize Agreement No. 270210B with Community Health Initiative for a contact maximum of
$40,000 for the term November 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 to provide targeted CalFresh outreach and retention services to Napa County residents impacted by reinstated CalFresh Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents work requirements.
FISCAL IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
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Where is it budgeted? |
Health and Human Services Agency Self Sufficiency Services |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
Napa County could see a significant drop in CalFresh retention and an increase in case 'churn' where eligible households lose benefits and must re-apply. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
None, Agreement terms June 30, 2027 and appropriations have been included in the approved Fiscal Year 2026-2027 budget. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
Napa County could see a significant drop in CalFresh retention anda n increase in case 'churn' where eligible households lose benefits and must re-apply. |
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Additional Information |
Strategic Initiative: Compassion & Access |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.