State must identify children orphaned by Covid for state-funded accounts

California will start trust accounts for children from low-income families who lost a parent or guardian to Covid-19, the LAist reported. First, the state has to identify the eligible kids. 

The Legislature created the HOPE program in 2022 so that children who lost a parent or guardian to Covid as well kids in foster care with little chance of reuniting with their parents will have access to a trust account worth at least $4,500 once they’re 18 years old. The money will provide financial resources that would traditionally have come from parents, the LAist reported. 

Children in the foster care system will be automatically enrolled. But without a central database of who died from Covid and if they had children, the state does not have a list of kids whose parents died from the disease, according to the LAist. The Legislature estimates that at least 32,500 children lost a parent or guardian to the virus. 

The state is currently cross-referencing death certificates and tax records to try to identify the children. 

Through outreach and collaboration with community organizations and school districts, the state is working to find and enroll the eligible kids by the time the program starts next year, the LAist reported.