SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Thousands of homeless high school seniors could receive $1,000 a month for five months if a California bill passes.
It includes people like Salma Pacheco, who didn’t have a typical childhood.
“I started working when I was 11 years old, which is not something that typically happens, right?" said Pacheco, who is now a college student. "But when you need to feed yourself and you need to support your family, that means you're sacrificing your time.”
She says she fit into the federal definition of a homeless student, which is “individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.”
That includes kids who are sharing a house with other people due to economic hardship, families living in motels or cars.
“The biggest thing that comes to mind is my mental health," said Pacheco. "I think constantly being in a state of stress, because you're constantly in survival mode, is an extra layer that a typical student doesn't have.”
Pacheco didn’t have family to support her transition from high school to college.
“I was couch surfing for most of that summer up until October, so three months into the fall semesters was when I finally got stable housing,” she said.
The money comes with no strings attached other than needing to fit into the federal definition of a homeless student.
Senator Dave Cortese has attempted this proposal in the past and it failed, but this time around, he said he’s listened to the concerns from his colleagues and made changes.
Cortese says there are 15,000 homeless high school seniors in California who could qualify and the bill could prevent them from falling into chronic homelessness.
The program is expected to cost anywhere from $50 million to $80 million at a time when the state is facing a $22 billion budget deficit.
“Those five months of stipends will, and it's been proven -- we'll avoid about $85,000 a year in other costs, taxpayer costs that come with adult homelessness," said Cortese. "It's everything from homeless services, to incarceration, to running shelters, to providing food, CalFresh, general assistance.”
The bill passed the senate last year and made it to the assembly before Cortese says there was some confusion about whether this was another form of financial aid. He said he clarified this time around that it’s not financial aid, and it will also not be classified as income so it will not be taxed.
The bill is up for it’s first committee vote Wednesday.
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