City of Cambridge Responds to Federal Changes Affecting SNAP and MassHealth Benefits

The City of Cambridge is preparing to launch a major, coordinated response to rapidly evolving federal changes affecting SNAP and MassHealth benefits. On Monday night, the Cambridge City Council approved an appropriation of $500,000 from the City's Federal Grant Stabilization Fund to support this citywide effort. The Cambridge Community Foundation (CCF) is committing an additional $100,000 to the effort, bringing the immediate investment to $600,000. Funding will strengthen outreach, application assistance, case management, and community coordination as Cambridge families face mounting challenges due to federal policy shifts under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

This response builds on the rapid and effective partnership formed in November 2025, when the City, Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee (CEOC), CCF, and local nonprofits partnered and supported emergency resources for residents during the federal government shutdown, and the spring 2026 food security working groups convened by CCF. That partnership has since expanded. Last week, the City, CEOC, CCF, and more than 30 community-based organizations convened to launch a unified strategy to ensure Cambridge households receive support, remain informed, and keep the benefits for which they are eligible.

Cambridge is already experiencing significant impacts from the new federal SNAP and Medicaid regulations, which changed work requirements for recipients and narrowed eligibility for immigrants. SNAP enrollment among Cambridge households has dropped approximately 15% since July 2025, which represents an estimated $2.95 million in annualized federal food benefits lost. Many residents losing coverage are not losing eligibility, but are being denied their benefits due to procedural hurdles such as missing documents or missed appointments.

Beginning January 2027, new work requirements and six-month renewal cycles for MassHealth are expected to take effect. Narrowed immigrant eligibility will start in October 2026. Statewide projections show 141,000 to 203,000 members could lose coverage, including roughly 2,400 Cambridge residents.

"Food pantries across Cambridge have reported increased need, higher grocery prices, new households seeking help, and growing strain on their operations," said Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang. "The City's coordinated initiative marks a significant step forward that transitions from short-term emergency response to a sustained, coordinated system designed to help residents weather ongoing federal changes through 2027 and beyond. We are deeply grateful for the continued support of the City Council and the tireless work of CEOC, CCF, and more than 30 community organizations committed to ensuring that Cambridge families do not face these changes alone."

"We want our neighbors to know that if they lose their benefits, there is help available," said CEOC's Executive Director Tina Alu. "They don't have to navigate these complicated rules and bureaucratic hurdles alone. No one should lose their benefits because of paperwork, because they can't reach DTA on the phone or because the federal changes are so complicated that they can't make sense of them. CEOC's staff are trained and ready to help. We are so grateful for this partnership with the City and Cambridge Community Foundation."

In 2023, CCF launched its Food Access and Security Initiative, a combined $1.9 million, multiyear investment designed to more efficiently address the fundamental need for greater food security in Cambridge, and to strengthen Cambridge's emergency food system. CCF will make a second significant investment in food security later this year.

"We're so pleased at how this coalition of food-security nonprofit partners has grown, earning the trust and support of the city and our amazing donors, and enabling the coalition to holistically address the challenging effects of these most recent federal policy changes," said Geeta Pradhan, CCF president. "This is what community is and ought to be: a collective commitment to take action based on shared values."

To help residents navigate these federal changes, the City and CEOC will soon launch a new, regularly updated website dedicated to providing clear, accessible information and step-by-step guidance if residents have lost or are worried about losing their SNAP benefits or MassHealth coverage.

The website will include:

• Up-to-date information about federal policy changes
• Where and how to get help locally
• Upcoming events offering on-site assistance
• Answers to frequently asked questions
• Direct links to local support services

CEOC will continue to serve as a primary resource for SNAP, MassHealth, and other benefits by providing:

• Eligibility screening
• Application and re-application assistance
• Help understanding work requirements
• Direct communication with the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) and MassHealth
• Document submission
• Case management and advocacy

CEOC staff speak 10 languages and have access to remote interpreters. Appointments and walk-ins will be available for assistance.

The $600,000 investment will support six core components of the citywide effort:

• Marketing, including translation and interpretation
• Outreach and on-site application assistance
• Partner trainings
• Staff time for organizations attending trainings
• Participation in an ongoing cross-organizational community of practice
• Case management, including applications, referrals, and resident advocacy

Since its establishment in June 2025, the City's Federal Grant Stabilization Fund has supported programs including housing vouchers ($1,000,000), food insecurity response ($250,000), and victim/survivor services ($625,000).

Residents interested in supporting emergency food access work can donate to CCF's Urgent Needs Fund, a pool of resources from donors that enables CCF to continuously respond to urgent needs in the community.