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Some COVID-19 orphans in California to receive financial help

California children orphaned by the COVID-19 pandemic could be eligible to receive trust funds when they turn 18 to help cover the costs of school, housing and other living expenses.

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According to research by the Global Reference Group for Children Affected by COVID-19, 32,000 California children under 18 have experienced the death of a parent or primary caregiver from COVID-19, CalMatters reported.

In turn, the state of California has created a financial safety net for those so-called “COVID orphans,” setting aside $100 million to help children from low-income families transition to adulthood, The Atlantic reported, noting that one out of every 12 current U.S. orphans under 18 lost a caregiver to COVID-19.

According to CalMatters, the funds, known as “baby bonds,” will be allocated through California’s recently adopted budget for the Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment for Children Trust Account Fund, and trust funds will also be created for long-term foster youth.

“It will make it so that people who are in the most need, who’ve lost a parent or caregiver to COVID, will have a little bit of extra help,” Emily Walton, policy director of COVID Survivors for Change, a national organization advocating for benefits for Americans impacted by COVID-19, told the news outlet.

According to The Atlantic, the trust funds are expected to range between about $4,000 and $8,000 per orphan.

“The lack of several thousand dollars could stop a child from jumping on to the next thing and getting an education or getting a job in a place where they know they can be successful,” she added.

Meanwhile, analysis by Dan Treglia – a social-policy researcher at the University of Pennsylvania and an expert contributor at the COVID Collaborative, a coalition of experts in health, education and economics – revealed that although the COVID-19 death rate for Hispanic Americans is just slightly higher than that for white Americans, more than twice as many Hispanic caregivers have died than white caregivers, The Atlantic reported.

According to CalMatters, the trust fund plan will be outlined in more detail later this summer, and advocates have stated that eligibility will most likely be tied to enrollment in Medi-Cal, the state’s health insurance system for low-income Californians.



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