Sacramento County foster youth lose ride service after budget cuts
A key source of transportation for foster youth in Sacramento County ended June 30.
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted on June 11 to eliminate its contract with HopSkipDrive, a youth transportation service, with the approval of a budget that cut a total of $57 million from general fund departments.
The move occurred as the county faced a $101 million deficit. The approved 2026-27 fiscal budget includes over $17 million in cuts to child, family and adult services. The elimination of the contract with HopSkipDrive saved the county $450,000.
"Unfortunately, we were looking at a fiscal year where Sacramento County did have to make some budget cuts," said Macy Obernuefemann, Sacramento County spokesperson. "It is a $450,000 contract, and we were looking at ways to cut that would have minimal impact to the youth that we served."
For foster youth, however, the savings come at a significant cost.
"Taking HopSkipDrive is vital to me because it's a lot [about] safety, because I am a person of color and queer," Aki Ramirez, a 16-year-old foster youth, said.
Effects of the budget cut on foster youth
Mercedes Parker was just one day old when she entered the foster system. Roughly two decades later, she finds herself working as the Community Advocacy Coordinator at California Youth Connection, where she supports foster youth.
"From firsthand experience, I don't want foster youth to miss out on all the good things in life, just because they don't have a ride there," Parker said.
Parker acknowledged the cruciality of services like HopSkipDrive for individuals already facing numerous day-to-day challenges.
"Transportation is not a small thing," said Parker. "Whether it's to their school, to their siblings, to participate in extracurricular activities like basketball practice or join the drama club … simple challenges have exponential long-term effects and youth shouldn't have to carry that burden."
Ramirez takes HopSkipDrive to attend services such as therapy. They have devoted themselves to speaking up for foster youth, but the cut to HopSkipDrive comes as a major hit.
"We [foster youth] might be resilient at times, but the thing is, we have to survive, and if we don't have the benefits of resources, then where would we go?" Ramirez said.
Obernuefemann said foster youth will still have other transportation options available, including Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT).
"There are free rides with SacRT, there may be options available through the child's school, and also we do have those family service workers," she said.
However, for Rena Super, a care driver at HopSkipDrive, the designated service means more than just getting a student from one place to another.
"At the end of the day, they are children, and they want some nurturing, some love, some comfort, and the feeling that they know everything's gonna be okay. I give them that love, even if it's a short ride," Super said.
Fuper shared that her car is a space for students to converse with a trusted adult, listen to music, or simply nap.
"I do this because I want to know that I've done my part in terms of keeping this small community safe," she said.
With HopSkipDrive services set to end today, Ramirez works to grasp both the loss of a ride and the reminder of the systemic challenges against foster youth.
"It's going to be a lot of emotions … We don't want to fall in the cracks," they said.
