Over the course of 24 months (2 years), you will:

• Receive a direct cash transfer of $1,000/month
• Meet monthly with your assigned case manager with whom you will set and track progress on goals, conduct quarterly needs assessments, and receive support for ongoing needs and to enroll in workforce development, certification, and degree programs
• Participate in a Financial Empowerment Program cohort where you will receive financial coaching and participate in monthly cohort workshops

• You are a Samaritan House client who received case management or financial coaching services within the last year
• You are a resident of Belmont, Burlingame, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Millbrae, San Carlos, or San Mateo
• You must have stable, adequate housing
• You are a single mother, 18+ years, with at least one child aged 16 or under in the household
• You are legally authorized to work in the U.S.
• You have worked at the same job for at least the last 4 months
• Your primary source(s) of income do not exceed the following levels:
• 2-person family: $94,000
• 3-person family: $105,000
• 4-person family: $117,000
• You want to engage in further education, vocational training, or workforce development

This current program is designed in response to Samaritan House community members who expressed a desire to engage in education, vocational training, or career development opportunities but who are limited by the need to work a second job to meet their basic needs. If you are not interested in pursuing these opportunities, this program will not be a good fit for you. Please reach out to Samaritan House client services at (650) 347-3648 for additional support.

There are two primary requirements and obligations for the program:

• You must remain a resident in Samaritan House’s service area, including the cities of Belmont, Burlingame, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Millbrae, San Carlos, or San Mateo.
• You must meet with your case manager monthly throughout the program (24 months).

The application period opens on August 1, 2024 (12:00 AM PST). Applications will be accepted online and in person until August 30, 2024 (11:59 PM PST).

The application should take up to 30 minutes and will request some personal information such as how much income you earned last month and what public benefits you currently receive. Your information will be kept confidential and only used for this program’s purpose. If you have any questions or need assistance completing the application, [email protected] or call (650) 347-3648.

The application will be available at
https://samaritanhouselift.wufoo.com/forms/20242026-lift-program-application.

Samaritan House staff will review each application and select 15-20 participants who meet all eligibility criteria and reflect San Mateo County’s diverse makeup. They may place additional applicants on a waiting list.

Finalists will be notified via phone/email to participate in a short phone interview to discuss their application in early September. If you are selected, Samaritan House will contact you by email and a phone call in late September 2024.

Selected participants will then be invited to complete the enrollment process in an in–person meeting in October.

If you are contacted, you must respond within 5 business days to schedule an in-person enrollment meeting with a case manager at a time that works for your schedule. During this enrollment meeting, you will:

• Verify your eligibility
• Receive individualized financial coaching on how supplemental income may impact any current public benefits received under CalWorks, CalFresh, SSDI, etc.
• Sign a program agreement and consent form for data collection.

You will then be invited to attend a Welcome Celebration program kickoff event, where you will:

• Meet staff and receive a program packet including expectations, timeline, and resources
• Complete accounting paperwork
• Set appointments for your monthly case management meetings

Your enrollment meeting and the Welcome Celebration will take place in-person at Samaritan House in San Mateo.

You will need to bring the following documents and information to the enrollment meeting. These are to verify your eligibility for the program and assess how any of your public benefits may be affected. This information will be collected solely for this program’s purpose and not shared.

• Social Security Number / Individual Tax Identification Number
• Proof of identification of each member of your household (i.e., picture ID, birth certificate, etc.)
• Proof of current mailing address (if your ID does not list your current address): must have company name, your name, and be dated within the last 30 days (i.e., medical or bank statements and bills, utility bills, government benefits letters, lease)
• Proof of employment for the past 4 months (i.e., recent paycheck stubs)
• Verification of other income and/or public benefits (i.e., letters of statements from CalWorks, Child Support, Social Security, Unemployment, Employment offer letters)
• Verification of any educational, vocational training, or career development programs
• If you have a bank account:
  • Bank statements for the last 2 – 3 months
  • Account and routing number

Samaritan House will never contact you to ask for your social security or tax identification number, bank account, or credit card numbers. Do not provide this information if someone requests this from you over the phone.

If you do not respond within 5 business days, your application will be withdrawn, and another household will be selected from the waiting list to take your application’s place.

Samaritan House will contact you by email letting you know if you are not selected. Some applicants may be placed on a waiting list and hear from us in the following weeks. If you are interested in other Samaritan House services, please feel free to contact Client Services at 650-347-3648 for more information.

Participants will receive $1,000 per month between November 2024 and October 2026.

Here is how much you will receive by tax year:

• 2024: $2,000
• 2025: $12,000
• 2026: $10,000

The cash payments will be paid to you either by check or direct bank transfer to your account. We will work with you to establish a bank account if you do not already have one, so we can quickly and easily deposit the payment directly into your account.

Money received from this program will be counted as extra income on your tax return. Depending on how much you are currently making, this may impact your taxes and/or your eligibility for public benefits that are based on a total household income threshold.

During your enrollment meeting, you will receive an individualized benefits review to understand the possible impacts that this supplemental income can have on the public benefits you currently receive. If it looks like you will be negatively impacted, you will have the option to withdraw your application.

As a core part of this supplemental income program, you will meet monthly with a Samaritan House Case Manager who will provide individualized support to help you reach your goals. They will evaluate your needs and connect you to relevant workforce development and training opportunities that align with your personal interests, skills, and income goals. Key community partners include:

• JobTrain – vocational and certification support
• San Mateo County Community College District 
• NovaWorks
• San Mateo Adult & Career Education

You will also receive coaching from a financial coach who will conduct comprehensive financial health assessments. They will provide guidance for you to develop new or improved skills and behaviors, increase income, build savings, plan for retirement, and attain and sustain assets. Financial Empowerment services will include the following activities in addition to regular coaching: 

• Self-paced, online financial webinars
• Online financial planning tools
• Free tax return preparation assistance  

We will actively seek direct feedback to assess client satisfaction with our services. Your valuable feedback will be considered for future program design, ensuring that we are responding to the needs of our participants. Additionally, program staff will conduct annual reviews of client satisfaction surveys and regularly evaluate the implementation of internal evaluation protocols, including data collection, data analysis, follow-up interviews and impact reports. By following this approach, we will continuously refine and optimize our project, ensuring its efficiency and efficacy in meeting the evolving needs of our participants.

This program is designed as a pilot to demonstrate how supplemental income, when combined with intensive case management, can not only reduce income disparity and hardship but also create opportunities for participants to increase income, achieve economic stability, and cultivate financial freedom. By conducting a small-scale test with 15-20 participants, we can implement a comprehensive, holistic approach tailored to each participating family’s unique circumstances. With lessons learned from a research and evaluation process, we hope to secure additional funding to expand the scale and scope of this program in the future.

For more information about Samaritan House’s Supplemental Income Pilot Program, [email protected] or call (650) 347-3648.