County of Santa Clara Releases 2024-25 Children’s Budget
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. — The County of Santa Clara has released its Children’s Budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which illuminates the $1.29 billion in funding the County allocated for programs and services to enhance the welfare of children and youth.
Total spending for the Children’s Budget increased 9.1% from the previous fiscal year, despite a challenging fiscal environment. The increase reflects the Board of Supervisors’ commitment to the well-being of children and families as well as the County’s ability to navigate a challenging fiscal environment in adopting its overall budget of $12.5 billion for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
“With the transition in presidential administrations and economic uncertainties across the nation, it is critical that Santa Clara County reinforce its commitment to the well-being of our children,” said Supervisor Susan Ellenberg, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, who advocated for the creation of the Children’s Budget in the 2019-20 fiscal year. “This budget holds us accountable by transparently reporting every dollar invested toward this goal.”
Highlights in this year’s Children’s Budget include:
- $6 million for Advocacy and Flexible Support Services, an initiative spearheaded by the Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention to ensure children affected by gender-based violence receive support they need to heal and thrive.
- $12.6 million for the Amigos Motel Shelter Program, which provides a safe and stable environment where families facing homelessness can access services and work toward long-term housing solutions.
- $7.9 million for the Rapid Rehousing Program, which helps children and families transition quickly from homelessness to permanent housing.
“The most valuable investment our County can make is in the future of our children, and the Children’s Budget does more than just address immediate challenges for our youngest residents,” said Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, Vice Chair of the Children, Seniors and Families Committee. “As our County navigates the budget deficit, I am proud that we continued to invest in our children, especially on direct services for the child’s safety and well-being of our most vulnerable. By directing funding and resources toward policies and programs that benefit children and youth, we are breaking generational cycles of poverty, expanding access to education and health services, and creating opportunities that set every child on a path to success.”
The County faced a $250 million structural deficit heading into the 2024-25 fiscal year. Because the organization was able to address more than half the structural deficit through mechanisms other than reductions, the County avoided a range of challenging cuts in services and staffing. These decisions preserved vital programs in the Children’s Budget.
Bolstering support for children and families is one of the top policy priorities of the Board of Supervisors, which seeks to expand access to high-quality childcare and other critically needed services.
“The Fiscal Year 2024-25 Children’s Budget reflects the commitment of the Board of Supervisors and County administration to help ensure that all children in Santa Clara County have the resources to live safe, healthy and meaningful lives,” said County Executive James R. Williams. “I am profoundly thankful for the efforts of staff throughout the County organization to preserve and enhance funding for children and families in the midst of a challenging fiscal environment.”
The County uses data to inform its decisions related to children and youth. One example is the Santa Clara County Children’s Data Book, the results of a partnership with the Santa Clara County Office of Education and children’s advocacy group Kids in Common. The Children’s Data Book compiles valuable statistics to illustrate how children throughout the county are faring in various categories.
“The Children’s Budget is rooted in the County’s determination to improve the lives of children and families and data that enable us to allocate resources in the most effective way possible,” said Sarah Duffy, chief children’s officer for the County. “The Children’s Budget embodies the County’s core values and reflects a shared commitment to creating a future that is prosperous, equitable and inclusive.”
Some of the most important programs for children and families originate from the Office of Supportive Housing, which is working to end homelessness for individuals and families in Santa Clara County. The Amigos Motel Shelter Program, operated by Amigos de Guadalupe, provides families with children essential services such as case management, counseling and support in accessing education and health care services. The Rapid Rehousing Program helps children and families transition from homelessness to permanent housing with the assistance of community partners, providing rental assistance and supportive services.
Over the years, the County has created various structures to guide the development of policies and programs to support children and families. Among them are the Youth Task Force, an advisory body comprised of youth throughout the county, and the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth. Established in 1999, the Youth Task Force offers a voice for students from eighth through 12th grade in decisions and policies affecting young people. The Bill of Rights for Children and Youth, adopted in 2010 and updated in 2023, is a pledge to keep the basic rights of children and youth – including health care, mental health, love and emotional connections, housing and safety, among others – at the forefront of budgetary and policy decisions.
Roughly $1 billion of the funding in the Children’s Budget for 2024-25 comes from Federal, State and other non-County funding sources. The Children’s Budget does not capture all County funding that supports children and youth, because programs that benefit the general public and capital projects are excluded.
ABOUT THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA
The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multicultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, Calif., making it more populous than 14 states in the United States. The County provides essential services to its residents, including public health protection, environmental stewardship, medical services through the County of Santa Clara Health System, child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, park services, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and many other public benefits.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Laurel Anderson/Aaron Kinney, Office of Communications and Public Affairs, [email protected], (408) 299-5119