At any given time, about 2,500 Santa Clara County students are homeless. In hopes of pulling some out of poverty, the county plans to give 50 unhoused high schoolers a $1,200 monthly stipend to help them secure lasting homes and cover other essential needs as they enroll in college or start their careers.
The program “will close that benefit gap,” said David Cortese, a Democratic state senator representing the South Bay, during a news conference Friday. “It will stop this cycle, this endless cycle of graduating more and more young people into adult homelessness.” Karen Tanveer, an 18-year-old student who was homeless before finding help from a Santa Clara nonprofit, challenged local officials and aid organizations to continue boosting support for students without stable housing.