A Proposal in Santa Clara County
While basic income proponent Andrew Yang may have dropped out of the race for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 2020 election, some of the ideas he championed have taken root with smaller, micro targeted initiatives.
This includes Santa Clara County in California looking at a pilot program for a guaranteed $1,000 minimum check (with a maximum up to $2,000) per month for up to two years to adults ages 18 to 21 in extended foster care (a program which allows them to stay or reenter into the program for three years), and for those 21 to 24 “aging out” of the foster care system.
The proposal is serious as it’s been put forward by Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese. “We're all keeping our fingers crossed that it works, for the sake of the young people, and we hope other counties around us and throughout the state will take a look at it if it is working, and maybe this will catch on,” Cortese has been quoted in media as saying.
It’s estimated that between 50 to 150 people come out of the foster care system every year in Santa Clara County. More discussions are expected in March, with a possible vote in April, for the 2020-2021 budget.
Media reports say possible problems include whether former foster youths would still be eligible for other government benefits such as Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, or CalFresh, if they receive the county’s basic income payment, or for non US citizens in the process of seeking citizenship.
A screenshot from the Our Town Reno documentary Invisible Girl, which included discussions about how youths aging out of foster care often faced many hurdles. Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGrv8G40WJY
Studies Show Problems for After Foster Care Life
Nevada already has AB350 a law from 2011 which gives former foster youths a stipend of about $780 a month, but should this be boosted to a higher level as prices, including rents keep climbing, while wages are stagnant? Are all aged out young adults getting access to this stipend or is the process too complicated with too many requirements? At the current amount, can it really be called a basic income?
Nationally, there are around 20,000 youth aging out of foster care, facing high risks of food and job insecurity, homelessness, addiction, trauma, incarceration and mental health issues, which can all feed off of each other, and which can also result from negative host family experiences. According to a recent University of Chicago study , less than half of the older 23- and 24-year-olds in this population have a job, and nearly a third are without stable shelter.
Already started basic income programs range from a $500 monthly one started in Stockton for 125 people, to one in Mississippi, where 15 low income black mothers are getting $1,000 per month. Outside the United States, Finland has also tried notable pilot programs.
Should Washoe County be the next experimental ground?