Santa Clara County has allocated $900,000 to start the nation’s first universal basic income program for young adults transitioning out of foster care.
The pilot program—proposed by Supervisor Dave Cortese and approved by the Board of Supervisors earlier this week—will pay $1,000 a month to individuals ages 21 to 24 from June 2020 through May 2021.
“Youth transitioning out of the foster care system are a group of residents who are particularly in need of and deserve robust support,” Cortese said in a statement announcing the initiative. “Creating a pilot program to provide a basic income to these individuals will allow the county to better support their transition out of our foster care system and to help them find a stable path to success, wellbeing and independence.”
Seventy-two young adults transitioning out of the foster care system will be eligible for the benefit. The county plans on having mentors or case workers check-in with the individuals at the three, six, nine and 12-month mark during the pilot program.
John Hogan, a former member of the county’s Joint Foster Youth Task Force, expressed his support for the program in a letter to the five-member Board of Supervisors.
“The fact of the matter is that every day, we are asking young people aging out of foster care to choose between education and work,” he said. “Too often, they are forced to choose work, in order to survive. This is a choice that many other children do not need to make...The proposed initiative is an opportunity for these youth to continue education or training that will improve their long-term chances of economic success (and improved self-esteem, mental health and relationships).”
The spurs can’t decide whether they want to turn SCC into modern day France or Nazi Germany.
Supes, not spurs. Curse you, auto correct!
I’m guessing the only thing this program will guaranty is another dependent on government assistance willing to vote for Democrats that promise to dole out more money.
> The pilot program—proposed by Supervisor Dave Cortese and approved by the Board of Supervisors earlier this week—will dole out $1,000 a month to individuals ages 21 to 24 from June 2020 through May 2021.
Why not just set up prepaid accounts with the local marijuana suppliers for the “individuals ages 21 to 24”. The “individuals” are likely not very sophisticated shoppers.
County bureaucrats could read Donald Trump’s “Art of the Deal” and then negotiate a favorable deal for the county with the pot dealers and get a big discount.
It’s important to spend the taxpayers’ money prudently.
I
I congratulate Cortese for finally placing his heart where it has to be. These youthS have significant trauma history and dual diagnosis conditions. I worked with these youths from all California. Some of them have no one to go to after they turn 18. The foster care system as it is is a piece of sh!t that fails these youths. CORTESE focus on the SCC power and control abusive systems you are part of. You know these children are abused at these very systems, group homes, and other places providing treatment. Make DA Jeff Rosen accountable for not prosecuting all those who force some of these youths into the sex trafficking businesses. This money is a start. Prosecuting those who use these youths for monetary and sexual purposes is the underlying cause of these youths situations.
> This money is a start.
“This money” is taken from citizens at tax collector gunpoint.
If a citizen refuses to pay these taxes, the end of the process is guys with guns and handcuffs (and maybe a SWAT team) showing up at your home sweet home.
But, this money DOES salve FEXXY’s conscience and make her feel good.
In a JUST world, the people who CAUSED the trauma and misery would be held accountable, but in FEXXY’s world, it’s good enough to just rip off a few innocent bystander taxpayers.
Bubble, this is not about how I feel. You and others should give a sh!t about mine or other people’s feelings. Spending my tax dollars supporting these youths is of good use. I just expect no community organization has any access to this money. These youths should be required to work, attend school, or other vocational training. Thus money can help them pay for a place to sleep and not be homeless and preyed by sexual perverted people. Most of these youths want what the rest want, home, work, and food. I do not want for these supervisors to give tax breaks to Google and other rich people. No tax breaks for the rich. Corporations are no people!
> Spending my tax dollars supporting these youths is of good use. I just expect no community organization has any access to this money.
Dear Big Hearted FEXXY:
Did it EVER occur to you that people could be generous and charitable WITH THEIR OWN MONEY? ! ! !
It would not surprise me — in fact it is likely the case — that if these “individuals ages 21 to 24” were NOT grovelling for a handout from the gun-toting taxman, more AND BETTER TARGETED SERVICES would be readily available through private charitable individuals and organizations.
In fact, one big time mattress retailer boasts in his ads how much he does for foster children.
The best thing for helping people with the type of needs you described is for Dave Cortese and his propaganda flacks to just stay the hell out of the way. And keep his fat mug away from any cameras.
No bubble, I am the one with the experience here. This money should be used to pay for rent and other basic needs. However, it should be something such as CalWorks or welfare to work. These youths suffer a lot with their caregivers and then in the foster system. For this, being able to receive medical, mental, and other health and vocational support without the stupid judges, POs, and others is indeed a significant step. The reason for this is that for once in their lives these young adults will have a voice about what is best for them. As children, they are removed of their homes because of x reason. Then, it is the court, POs, social workers, and others making decisions for them. Community organizations must not have access to this money. The money should go to these youths as long as they stayed in a vocational or educational training and health services to promote emotional and financial autonomy.
Sounds like Fexxy wants us to believe that all foster care youths are being sex trafficked.
I think it more likely that most of the problems foster kids suffer from were caused by their birth parents.
This is not a UBI, its a Specific BI.
Better to distribute it through churches, make it all the way through mass, get 200 bucks from the deacon. Next eeek, make your way back to mass.
Good point. There’s nothing “universal” about it.
And the wording of the headline is ominous.
“The Nation’s FIRST UBI”. Gimme a break.
A less bias headline would not have used “First”.
It would have said “Only”.
And they’re really trying to soften up the public by bandying about this acronym “UBI” which is a subtle and sneaky way of conveying a message that this thing is so commonplace and so routine that we need to have some catchy jargon for it since it’s all over the place anyway.
Well it isn’t. It’s a bad idea. And any politician that advocates it is by definition a slimy leech.
Don’t fall for these progressive tricks.
All they want is they want it all. And they don’t want to have to work for it like we did. They want it handed to them.
Headlines are designed to coax the reader into reading the following story. Accuracy is not so important to the headline writer.
Foster youth is just the start for UBI. Count on it expanding to the sizable undocumented community in the near future. Was surprised to hear that due to the Covid-response deficit, the County will have to cut a program that was to provide funding to undocumented seniors.
Not even sure how that got funded anyway, without a press release.
Way to to SCC! Way to rob them of the opportunity to struggle like most of us do to become contributing adults to society. Make life easy and expect others to bail you out. I was kicked out of my family home at 20. I had to do everything myself. Over the years I worked while going to school. I got an MBA and retired at 55!!! You are robbing them do their self esteem and learning how the real world works! And as someone above stated created life long dependents on a system that can’t support them!
It has been the unstated goal of the Democratic Party for the last 75 years at least to make everyone dependent upon government. They started with black people, and have shown disdain for them as a class by pushing welfare on them as a solution, which has eradicated black personal responsibility. 70% of black kids today are born to a single mom, who used AFDC and its progeny to support themselves. Every major US city that has been controlled by Democrats for the last fifty years has the highest percentage of black people on welfare.
Fast forward to 2020. The Dems have hijacked COVID to extend that control to the entire population, under the guise of a health care emergency when 98% of the people who contract COVID 19 recover on their own, with no medical intervention. Governors and big city mayors are in thrall to Fauci, whose dire predictions have yet to come true. Yet, due to the general lack of ability to think clearly, 64% of Americans still trust Fauci, if you can believe the polls.
You Tube takes down every video that contradicts the Fauci narrative.Do you think that’s a coincidence?
As long as snowflakes dominate the voting rolls in SCC Cortese will have a job.
He’s got a paycheck, and I bet he’s been getting a haircut regularly, just like Newsom. But he doesn’t have Newsom’s tan.
This is yet another of Cortese’s abomiinations.
When are the taxpayers going to be rid of him for good?
This is an utter waste of taxpayer’s moneys with having No sunset date-this give away will only increase.
David S. Wall
These crooks never run out of ideas for how to flush my money down the toilet.
And to think that, starting at 18 years old, I worked my way through college. What the hell was wrong with me?!?! I was just a child, how could I have suffered so….
Unlike the crybaby “taxpayers” here in these comments, I support this move by the supes. Thank you, County of Santa Clara, for providing a helping hand.
> Unlike the crybaby “taxpayers” here in these comments, I support this move by the supes. Thank you, County of Santa Clara, for providing a helping hand.
Is that you, Dave?
If not, I think SCCrezzy has pretty much blown his/her/its cover: just make a list of all the people in thc county receiving checks from the government, and SCCrezzy’s name will be there.
No doubt. And cashing that check and heading straight to the pot store.
Probably the deputy County executive who wears the bow tie, the one who scolds residents that birthday car parades are illegal. Do you hear me?! Illegal!
This is a mistake, The money should be used to provide an education or training leading to a job. A handout sends the wrong message.