Hispanic Heritage Month: Eliminating Barriers to Access for the Latinx Community Through Bilingual Service Offerings

Hispanic Heritage Month, also referred to as Latinx Heritage Month, is a time to celebrate the culture and contributions of our Hispanic and Latinx neighbors. In San Diego, over 30 percent of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2020 US Census. As a result, our city benefits from the vibrant infusion of various Latin cultures when it comes to language and food. However, many people in Spanish-speaking communities struggle to access resources available to them because of language barriers. When it comes to enrolling in CalFresh, Feeding San Diego is proud to have bilingual team members who speak both English and Spanish to make food assistance more accessible.

Barriers to Resources

According to Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, Latinos were 2.5 times more likely to experience food insecurity in 2021 than white individuals. Various factors, including racial prejudice, language, education, and cultural barriers, have created this disparity. We asked Victoria Medina, our CalFresh Manager who is bilingual, about some of the issues Spanish speakers face when applying for CalFresh.

“It’s not easy to apply at a county office,” Victoria explains. “They have people who speak Spanish, but clients don’t always have the opportunity to access them. When a case gets assigned to a caseworker, the caseworker isn’t usually bilingual. And they can’t always get in touch with their caseworker.”

Victoria (left) with Lourdes, a CalFresh senior specialist, at an outreach event

CalFresh, known nationally as SNAP, helps many individuals afford groceries. However, green card holders and other immigrants often hesitate to apply. The Trump administration considered SNAP a public charge, which meant it could make immigrants ineligible for permanent resident status. While this rule changed under the Biden administration, many are still afraid to enroll.

“Here at Feeding San Diego, we don’t just help one population. We help all populations. We’re here to serve everyone, whoever needs that assistance.”

“There’s still a lot of fear and uncertainty. A lot of county workers say different things, which can lead to confusion,” Victoria says. She adds that even for English speakers, the process of applying for CalFresh can be overwhelming “Clients will tell me, ‘They told me a long time ago, I wasn’t eligible because of my income, so I didn’t even try.’ Then we go through their family size and income, and they are eligible. It’s really heartbreaking to hear that. They tell us, ‘I didn’t have a good experience, so I didn’t apply, but I can’t afford groceries.'”

Clearing the Road to Food Assistance

With all the confusion surrounding CalFresh, it’s no wonder our Spanish-speaking clients struggle to navigate the system. We asked Victoria to break down how Feeding San Diego’s CalFresh outreach team makes applying easier.

“We recently onboarded two new bilingual team members to increase the capacity for Spanish-speaking clients, doubling the number we had,” Victoria explains. Since her team mainly serves English and Spanish speakers, all their materials are in English and Spanish. Plus, Feeding San Diego’s website is accessible in a variety of languages, including Spanish.

An example of a CalFresh flyer in Spanish

We also have a Calendly button on our CalFresh page to request Spanish service. By booking time with one of our Spanish-speaking coordinators, a client’s entire experience can be in their native language. In addition to Spanish-speaking staff, Feeding San Diego has connections with the county. Several bilingual caseworkers specifically work with clients from Feeding San Diego.

“We can also be an authorized representative so we can check the status of your case,” Victoria says. “We literally are your voice, we do everything for you. All you have to do is send us your documents when we request them. We can speak on your behalf and give you clarification on what’s pending and how long you’ll have to wait.”

Advocating for All

At Feeding San Diego, we believe that everyone deserves equal access to food resources. Unfortunately, language, feelings of shame, and other barriers may stand in the way.

As Victoria told us, “Here at Feeding San Diego, we don’t just help one population. We help all populations. We’re here to serve everyone, whoever needs that assistance.”

If you or someone you know could benefit from extra money for groceries, please contact our CalFresh team at 858.863.6635 or e-mail calfreshteam@feedingsandiego.org. You can also learn more about CalFresh here.