Homeless high school seniors could get $1,000 a month if California passes basic income bill

Sacramento Bee

Thousands of homeless high school seniors would receive $1,000 a month for five months under a new bill proposed by Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose.

The bill, SB 333, would create a guaranteed income pilot program known as SOAR, or “Success, Opportunity, and Academic Resilience.” All homeless 12th grade students who “lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence” would be eligible. They would receive the direct cash payments from April to August 2024.

“These payments, made with no-strings-attached, enable students to cover basic needs so they may take crucial steps toward college or career,” Cortese said in a statement Tuesday. “We must stop graduating 15,000 high school students into homelessness each year.”

Read more here.