LA County guaranteed income program: Last day to submit applications is Wednesday
LOS ANGELES - The application period for Los Angeles County's guaranteed income program, which will provide 1,000 randomly selected residents with $1,000 a month for three years, closes Wednesday, April 13.
To qualify for the "Breathe: LA County's Guaranteed Income Program," people must be at least 18 years old, have a household income under $56,000 for a single person or $96,000 for a family of four and have experienced negative impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants will receive the money through a debit card, and there are no strings attached or conditions to the income.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Applications open for LA County guaranteed income program on March 31
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the motion, introduced by Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Holly Mitchell and Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, to create the program on May 18, 2021. The motion also declared poverty and economic opportunity a public health matter.
"The course of this pandemic has revealed the large number of county residents who are living on the brink of financial crisis, with insufficient savings to weather a job loss, a medical emergency or a major car repair," Kuehl said.
"This guaranteed income program will help give residents the breathing room they need to better weather those crises. There is ample evidence from guaranteed income projects around the country that financial support, coupled with the freedom to make their own decisions about how best to spend their money, offers families the flexibility they need to establish stability and invest in a more prosperous future for themselves."
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Los Angeles County's Poverty Alleviation Initiative oversees the program, and a research team from the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Guaranteed Income Research will randomly select qualified applicants. The team will also study long-term impacts the income has on residents' economic wellbeing.
"There is so much we still do not know about the power of unconditional cash over a longer period of time. With a three-year pilot, it opens up the possibility for families to set larger goals than we have seen in other experiments and it also gives policymakers a chance to learn how unconditional cash functions alongside other programs over time," said Dr. Amy Beth Castro of the University of Pennsylvania Center for Guaranteed Income Research.
The pilot program is based on a similar program in Stockton, California, that has been praised for its success. The city of Los Angeles introduced a guaranteed basic income program, called BIG:LEAP, last year.
"Given that we saw reductions in anxiety and depression after just 12 months in Stockton, we are eager to see how families leverage a much longer period of support," Castro said.
Residents interested in applying can find more information at breathe.lacounty.gov, including a map to help determine whether they live in a qualifying community. Information is also available by calling 213-342-1003.
The deadline for enrollment applications is April 13. Selection will not depend on the timing of entries
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