• Economic Security
  • Public Policy and Systems Change

Among its many efforts to advocate for free and equal access to credit for all California communities, the California Reinvestment Coalition is working to eliminate the ATM fees that welfare recipients pay to access their cash benefits. The vast majority of CalWORKs families receive benefits through Electronic Benefits Transfer cards, which work like bank debit cards — except with a very limited network of fee-free ATMs. This means CalWORKs recipients must pay up to $4.00 per transaction to access their benefits. The California Reinvestment Coalition continues to build on its success to keep this much-needed money in the hands of low-income families.