Across states, there are a variety of intervention programs that are put in place to support low-income and other vulnerable individuals. These programs, while often cash-based, can also come in other forms, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food vouchers for qualifying families. California has recently implemented a new program aimed at targeting low-income families to support the children in these families.
Offering social support to the community through federal and state initiatives
At a federal level, the largest social welfare programs the government funds are Social Security, SNAP, and other stimulus check initiatives, which are sent based on the hardships that community members are experiencing. The last widespread stimulus check assistance, which was sent out by the federal government some years ago, was part of the COVID-19 relief plan, where eligible individuals received three rounds of stimulus payments to assist with the economic repercussions of the pandemic.
At a state level, many local governments have their welfare programs to assist families and individuals based on the local need, which is reported. California is particularly noted for its welfare assistance, with approximately $100 billion spent annually by the state government to support individuals in need. This is largely due to California not only being the most populous state in the country, having some of the highest cost-of-living expenses and a severe homelessness crisis, which requires large investment and intervention.
California to send out $725 “gift” payment next month
As part of California’s widespread initiatives to help the most vulnerable in the state, such as the Golden State Stimulus by the California Franchise Tax Board, the state has implemented the Family First Economic Support Pilot (FFESP) program, funded by the California Department of Social Services. This program is intended to assist families with children under the age of five years old by providing them with a guaranteed income for 12 months, amounting to $725 per month.
Applications closed to be part of the program at the end of April. In May, families will be randomly selected to be part of the pilot program. The first payments will begin to be distributed in June of this year, just in time for the Summer holiday break. To have been eligible to take part in the program, you needed to have met the following criteria:
- Must be the parent or legal guardian of a child aged from birth to five years, and the child must reside with the parent/legal guardian at least 50% of the time.
- Reside full-time in one of the following zip-code areas: 95815, 95821, 95823, 95825, 95828, 95838
- Earn an annual household income of less than 200% of the federal poverty line (FPL), exclusive of government benefits
- You cannot be participating in another Guaranteed Income Program from any government or nongovernment organization already
Increased benefits for families in California
The FFESP program is not the only new initiative California is implementing to help families. Starting this year, the state announced an increase in paid family leave and disability benefits, increasing the wage replacement rate for these benefits from 60% to 70% to 70% to 90%. This change forms part of the new Senate Bill 951 (SB 951) as a means to help families and disabled individuals cover their expenses with better security and financial worry.
Other changes California has implemented are increased protections for child influencers. Assembly Bill 1880 and Senate Bill 764 require parents to put aside a percentage of their child-influencer children’s earnings into a trust, which the child may then have access to at the legal adult age. This law protects children from financial exploitation and prevents the misuse and spending of funds by parents on behalf of their children instead of saving that income for their children’s benefit.
