Press Release

Statement from Economic Security California Action on SB 333, guaranteed income for homeless high school seniors

06. 12. 2024

The bill’s passage out of committee signals growing bipartisan support for guaranteed income as a tool to disrupt poverty cycles

Sacramento, CA – Today SB 333 (Cortese) passed out of the Assembly Education Committee 6-0 with bipartisan support and will move on to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. If enacted, the legislation would establish the California Success, Opportunity, and Academic Resilience (SOAR) Guaranteed Income Program. CalSOAR would provide a short-term guaranteed income of $1,000 a month for four months to graduating high school students experiencing homelessness. Following the bill’s passage, Teri Olle, Director of Economic Security California Action, released the following statement: 

For the over 15,000 graduating high school seniors each year experiencing homelessness, $1,000 each month can mean the difference between being able to afford their future plans or falling into a cycle of housing insecurity. Too many high school graduates face insurmountable obstacles as they transition to college or to the workforce, and this legislation would provide the stability they need during that critical time.  

Today’s vote by the Assembly Education Committee to advance this bill forward is a win for homeless high school seniors and our entire state. Guaranteed income advocates are working to establish an income floor through pilot programs, tax credits, and other innovative cash policies that ensure Californians have the economic stability and security we all deserve. Economic Security California Action urges lawmakers to continue to support SB 333 as it moves through the Legislature.