San Bernardino County residents in extreme poverty may find it easier to get financial assistance after the county settled a lawsuit that alleged it made applying for General Relief funds — intended for those most in need — unnecessarily difficult.
On Dec. 6, the county settled a 2019 suit brought by Inland Counties Legal Services, Western Center on Law & Poverty and the Public Interest Law Project. It was filed on behalf of two county residents. Riverside County settled with the same groups over similar issues in 2019.
San Bernardino County spokesperson David Wert, when reached earlier this week, did not have information on the program or lawsuit. County government offices were closed Thursday, Dec. 23, and spokesperson Felisa Cardona said officials were not available to comment. However, in the settlement, San Bernardino County did not admit wrongdoing or liability.
General Relief is a state-mandated program administered and paid for by California counties. It provides cash assistance to adults living in extreme poverty who do not have income or resources, including from other public assistance programs other than the CalFresh food assistance program.
In San Bernardino County, the program provides “provides loan assistance to indigent individuals and families in temporary need of housing, food and/or transportation,” according to the county’s website.
From July 2018 through April 2019, San Bernardino County denied 2,057 out of 2,245 applicants for General Relief, according to an Inland Counties Legal Services news release.
The plaintiffs alleged the low acceptance rate was due to the county’s extremely difficult application process.
“The people who need general assistance are often homeless and disenfranchised to the point where receiving any help is difficult, so these changes to the program are huge,” Inland Counties Legal Services attorney Anthony Kim said in a news release. “The less hoops residents need to jump through, the easier it will be for them to get the assistance they need and are legally entitled to.”
The county began making changes to the program after the lawsuit was filed and agreed to more in the Dec. 6 settlement. They include:
- General Relief recipients now receive $332 a month as an individual, which will grow to $504 a month starting in 2026
- Applicants no longer have to attend an in-person orientation before applying
- The county now accepts applications online and via mail or drop box
- Homeless recipients are no longer dropped from the program if they were unable to get housing within 30 days of receiving benefits
- Eligible recipients will also receive full benefits regardless of their housing status
- Recipients will receive back-dated payments to when they first applied
- Recipients will have fewer recertification requirements to stay in the program
- Recipients will have higher allowed values for cars and other vehicles
- Recipients get notice before they’re kicked out of the program and will have the right to appeal
- “Employable” program participants can make 10 contacts in a job search each week, rather than 20
County staff will also receive training on these changes, most of which were in effect before the settlement agreement signing. The changes which will remain in effect until at least December 2028, under terms of the settlement.
“This is an incredible victory for people in San Bernardino County,” Melissa A. Morris, staff attorney at Public Interest Law Project, said in the release. “These systemic changes to the county’s General Relief program will potentially benefit thousands of low-income people throughout San Bernardino County, and we appreciate the county’s willingness to work with us to make these improvements.”
