San Mateo County supervisors will give $1,000 a month to help domestic violence survivors with children leave their abuser.
The pilot program, approved Tuesday, offers the guaranteed income for one year and is limited to 20 eligible individuals.
The board earmarked $240,000 for monthly payments and $108,000 to Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse to run the program through June 30, 2026.
“Financial abuse, lack of banking and credit, the need for childcare, the high cost of housing, and legal costs are some of the many complex barriers that prevent survivors from leaving an abusive situation,” Supervisor Noelia Corzo said in a news release.
Supervisor David Canepa said that money should not determine whether someone stays in an abusive relationship.
“No person should feel trapped in an abusive relationship because they don’t have the economic ability to walk away,” Canepa said.
In 2024, an adult with an infant in San Mateo County needs $12,254 a month to be considered self-sufficient, supervisors said, citing the Center for Women’s Welfare at the University of Washington.
There will be no spending restrictions on recipients. The first payments are expected to begin in January.
In July 2023, the supervisors approved a similar guaranteed income pilot program for transitional age foster youth.