I went through this exact situation about 8 months ago when I was staying with my sister after a roommate bailed on me. The housing verification was definitely the trickiest part, but I want to reassure you that it's absolutely doable. Here's what worked for me: I had my sister write a simple letter stating that I was staying there temporarily, that we buy/prepare food separately, and that I don't pay rent due to financial hardship. I also gathered ANY mail that came to that address with my name on it - even promotional stuff from stores where I'd updated my address online. The key thing the worker told me was that they're not trying to deny you benefits for having unstable housing - they just need to verify you're not double-dipping or sharing food costs inappropriately. When I explained that I keep my few groceries on a separate shelf and cook at different times, that satisfied their requirements. The whole process took about 3 weeks, but I was approved. Also, definitely mention your new job starting next week - showing that you're working toward stability actually helps your case. You've got this! Don't let the bureaucracy discourage you from getting the help you need.

Hey Esmeralda, I went through almost the exact same situation when I was couch surfing with my friend's family after losing my place. The housing verification stress is real, but don't let it discourage you! What really helped me was understanding that CalFresh workers are used to dealing with unstable housing situations - you're definitely not the first person they've seen in this circumstance. The most important thing is being completely honest about your living arrangement and emphasizing that you and your cousin operate as separate food households. I had to provide a simple letter from my friend's mom confirming I was staying there temporarily, plus I gathered every piece of mail I could find with my name and that address - bank statements, job application confirmations, even a magazine subscription I'd forwarded there. One tip that really helped: when you talk to your eligibility worker, use the phrase "separate food household" to describe your situation. That's the specific terminology they look for to confirm you're not sharing food costs or meals with your cousin. Also, since you mentioned starting a new job next week, that actually works in your favor! It shows you're actively working toward independence, which eligibility workers view positively. Don't give up on this - food assistance is a right, not a privilege, and your temporary housing situation doesn't disqualify you. You're going to get through this bureaucratic hurdle and get the help you need!

I'm brand new to this community and just joined after seeing how helpful everyone has been in this thread! As someone who recently started receiving CalFresh benefits, I had no idea that system glitches like this were so common or that there were resources like Claimyr to help get through to actual caseworkers. Reading through all the experiences shared here has been incredibly educational - especially learning about quarterly maintenance periods and data matching processes that can trigger false discontinuation flags. It's both scary and reassuring to see how many people have dealt with similar issues but were able to get them resolved quickly once they got through to someone. @StarSurfer I really hope you were able to use that call service and get everything sorted out for your family! The success stories from @Chloe Robinson and @Sean O'Brien using Claimyr give me so much confidence that these terrifying situations can often be fixed efficiently when you know the right resources. This community is such an amazing support system for navigating these complex benefit systems - I'm definitely bookmarking this entire thread as my reference guide. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their knowledge and experiences!

I'm completely new to this community and just joined after discovering this incredibly helpful thread! As someone who recently started receiving CalFresh benefits, I had no idea about so many of the things discussed here - quarterly system maintenance causing false discontinuation flags, data matching processes, services like Claimyr to help get through phone lines. This whole discussion has been like a masterclass in understanding how these benefit systems actually work behind the scenes. It's both concerning and reassuring to see how common these system glitches are, but the multiple success stories from people like @Chloe Robinson and @Sean O'Brien who got quick resolutions using that call service give me so much hope. @StarSurfer I really hope you were able to get through and resolve your situation with your kids depending on these benefits - your post really highlighted how scary and urgent these situations can be for families. This community seems like such an incredible resource for navigating these complex systems that can feel so overwhelming when you're new to them. I'm definitely bookmarking this entire thread as my reference guide and keeping that Claimyr service saved for future reference. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences, solutions, and follow-up updates - the collective knowledge here is invaluable for newcomers like me!

Just wanted to add another resource that helped me when I was in a similar situation last year - if your county has a CalFresh outreach coordinator (many do through local nonprofits or community colleges), they can sometimes help bridge communication with the county office. I found mine through my local food bank when I called 211, and she was able to make some calls on my behalf that got faster results than me calling directly. Also, for anyone reading this thread, keep detailed records of every call you make (date, time, how long you waited, what happened) - if you end up needing to file a complaint or get your Assembly member involved, having that documentation really helps your case. It shouldn't take all these workarounds just to access basic services, but I'm grateful this community exists to share what actually works!

As someone who's been through the CalFresh system maze myself, I wanted to add a few more tips that have worked for me and others in my community. First, if you're in a county that uses a callback system, definitely use it - you can request a callback and they'll hold your place in line while you go about your day. Second, try calling different county offices if you're near a border - sometimes neighboring counties have shorter wait times and can help with basic questions or transfer you more quickly. Third, if you have a caseworker assigned to you, try emailing them directly if you have their contact info from previous correspondence. And finally, don't forget about your county's website - many now have live chat features during certain hours that can be faster than phone calls. The system is definitely broken in many ways, but persistence and knowing these workarounds can make a huge difference. Hang in there everyone!

As someone who's new to this community, I just wanted to thank everyone for this incredibly thorough and helpful discussion! I'm not personally dealing with an interstate move right now, but reading through all the different perspectives and experiences has been so educational. What really impressed me was how the community worked together to sort through the initial conflicting advice and help Lena get to the right answer. The fact that multiple people shared their actual experiences with CA-to-Nevada moves (and similar interstate transitions) made this so much more valuable than just theoretical advice. And getting that final confirmation from the caseworker was the perfect way to validate everything. This thread is going to be such a useful resource for anyone else facing similar benefit transition challenges during interstate moves - it really demystifies what can feel like an overwhelming process!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm really impressed by how this discussion evolved! What started as a stressful question about using CalFresh benefits during an interstate move turned into such a comprehensive resource. I love how the community worked through the initial conflicting advice by sharing real experiences - especially hearing from people like Yara who went through the exact same CA-to-Nevada move. The progression from confusion to clarity, culminating in Lena getting official confirmation from her caseworker, really shows the value of this kind of collaborative problem-solving. This thread perfectly demonstrates why communities like this are so important for navigating complex benefit systems - you get both the regulatory knowledge AND the practical, real-world experience that makes all the difference. Thanks to everyone who contributed their knowledge and experiences!

Same thing happened to me last month during a "system upgrade" - the website was down for 3 days but my benefits were still deposited on time. I've started keeping the EBT customer service number saved in my phone (1-877-328-9677) because this seems to happen regularly. Pro tip: if you call early in the morning like around 7-8 AM, you usually get through faster than during peak hours. The automated system works even when the website doesn't, so your benefits should still be there on your normal date!

I've been dealing with this exact same issue! The website has been completely unusable for me since yesterday evening. What's really frustrating is that this seems to happen way too often, especially around benefit issuance times. I ended up calling the customer service line this morning around 8 AM (thanks to whoever mentioned calling early!) and was able to confirm my benefits were deposited on schedule. It's ridiculous that we have to jump through hoops just to check our own account balances. The state really needs to invest in better technology for this system - people depend on these benefits to feed their families and shouldn't have to deal with constant website crashes and system "upgrades" that break everything.