Santa Clara County is considering a first-in-the-nation pilot program that would give a basic income to young people who were formerly in the foster care system.
The goal of the program aims to give young adults a leg up once they begin living on their own.
With the program’s implementation, former foster children would receive from $1,000 to $2,000 per month for up to two years. The money could be spent without restrictions.
The idea is known as universal basic income. Supporters of it are cheering the proposal in Santa Clara County.
“What better way to demonstrate to the nation how UBI can affect the lives of marginalized people,” said Giselle Huff, president of the Gerald Huff Fund for Humanity.
Officials hope the initiative will result in fewer foster youth on the street, once they leave the foster care program.
“We really see that UBI is one of those types of programs to help us make a dent in reducing and preventing homelessness in our community,” said David Lowe, with Destination Home. “We’re really excited to see the county looking to see how we can take a step forward. We also want to offer our help, so that we can partner with (the county) to make that happen.”
Officials are still working out the details, but one possible snag may be that these young adults if these young adults may not qualify for other state and federal assistance if they receive too much money.
Santa Clara County Supervisors are expected to vote on the basic income proposal in April.