San Diego

Victims of Lilac Fire Offered Food Assistance Benefits: County

In order to qualify, residents must go to a nearby Family Resource Center, fill out an application and complete an in-person interview.

Victims of the Lilac Fire may be eligible for government food assistance benefits in San Diego County, officials announced Monday.

Eligible residents include those who lived or worked in impacted areas during the fire, according to the County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA). Fire victims may apply for special Disaster CalFresh food assistance between Feb. 12 and 16.

“San Diego County has been federally and state approved to offer Disaster CalFresh to those affected by the Lilac Fire,” said Rick Wanne, HHSA director of eligibility, in a statement.

County officials said a resident may be eligible if they have lived or worked at one of the following zip codes: 92028 (Fallbrook), 92003 (Bonsall), 92084 (Vista) or 92057 (Oceanside.) Residents may also qualify if they lost income, had damage to their home or self-employment property or other disaster-related expenses.

“Emergency benefit amounts are determined on a case-by-case basis,” Wanne said.

In order to qualify, residents must go to a nearby Family Resource Center, fill out an application and complete an in-person interview.

“It’s a very simple evaluation that takes place. We look at the damage, the loss of income, we compare that to the income that was available or any cash on hand that might have been available," CalFresh Program Manager Alberto Garcia told NBC 7.

Affected residents can submit applications at the North Coastal Family Resource Center on 1315 Union Plaza Court in Oceanside or the Fallbrook Community Resource Center on 202 W. College St. in Fallbrook.

Once the application is filled out, it will be forwarded to the Oceanside or Fallbrook offices that are issuing emergency benefits.

“Most of the people that were affected came to see us earlier right after the disaster," Garcia said. "But certainly, if there’s anyone else out there who could benefit from this program, we want to make that known. And make this definitely thoroughly available for the community.”

County officials said people already receiving CalFresh will have their cases reviewed to see if they qualify for any emergency food assistance and may automatically receive a supplement. If you’d like to learn more about Disaster CalFresh, call 866-262-9881.

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