This month, millions of families across the country will be impacted by the Trump Administration’s efforts to deny and delay access to the nation’s largest anti-hunger program – SNAP

For many, this will mean one less grocery trip, one more hard choice. It’s another reminder that while Washington debates, families go hungry.

When the federal government makes it harder to access the safety net, local communities have to make it easier.

That’s exactly what we’re doing here in California.

Together with Interface Children & Family Services, the operator of 211 Ventura County, we’re piloting a new digital referral system to close one of the biggest gaps in the state’s social care landscape: enrollment in Medi-Cal’s Enhanced Care Management (ECM).

The Challenge

Across California, fewer than 1% of Medi-Cal members are currently enrolled in ECM, despite the state estimating that 3-5% qualify. The barriers are well-known:

• Providers don’t know how to participate
• Managed care plans are struggling to build relationships with local nonprofits
• Community-based organizations are unfamiliar with billing processes
• And Medi-Cal members often don’t even know these services exist

The result? Tens of thousands of eligible Californians—people with complex health, housing, and behavioral needs—remain disconnected from the care coordination and social services they need to move forward.

The Solution

Our collaboration with Interface is creating new solutions that will allow 211 operators to screen potentially millions of callers for ECM eligibility and then make secure, pre-qualified referrals to local ECM providers. 

When someone contacts 211 for help:

• A trained specialist screens for Medi-Cal eligibilty
• Matching algorithms identify qualified, local ECM providers
• Referrals are securely transmitted only with the caller’s consent
• ECM providers receive all the application information they need to request service approval from the client’s Managed Care Plan

In Ventura County, the data is already showing what’s possible:

• 958 callers screened
• 383 likely eligible for ECM services

Building Tech That Works for People

This partnership demonstrates the power of community-based infrastructure. It’s not about creating another app or portal. It’s about meeting people where they already are.

By connecting 211’s trusted front door with One Degree’s world-class nonprofit technology, we’re helping managed care plans, providers, and counties work together to:

• Increase enrollment
• Reduce administrative headaches
• Strengthen accountability and reporting
• Deliver care faster and with greater dignity

This is what it looks like when local innovators step up as the federal safety net frays. Because when they make it harder, we make it easier—one call, one referral, one family at a time.