Bill > SB33

This bill establishes the California Success, Opportunity, and Academic Resilience (SOAR) Guaranteed Income Program, which will provide $1,000 monthly payments to 12th-grade public school students experiencing homelessness from May 1, 2026, to August 1, 2026. The program aims to support homeless youth by providing financial assistance to help improve their economic security and educational outcomes. Counties can opt into the program, and local educational agency liaisons will help identify and enroll eligible participants. The bill ensures that these payments will not be counted as income for determining eligibility for other means-tested state and local benefit programs, and it requires the State Department of Social Services to obtain necessary federal waivers to protect participants' access to other benefits. For tax purposes, the payments will be excluded from gross income and not considered earned income for tax credit calculations. The program includes a requirement for an evaluation report to assess its impact on participants' educational and economic outcomes, with measurements to be developed in consultation with an independent research institution. The bill is set to expire on January 1, 2029, and is designed to provide a temporary support mechanism for homeless high school seniors to help them transition to post-secondary education or employment.

Budget and Finance, Education, Health and Social Services

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB33