L.A. to Test $1,000 a Month Guaranteed Income Program

By Alexandra E. Petri, Los Angeles Times (via TNS).

A new program in Los Angeles County is offering universal basic income, with $1,000 monthly payments to a select group of young adults.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services introduced the pilot program, which will provide a three-year guaranteed income for about 300 people ages 18 to 24, the agency said.

Recipients will be randomly selected to receive the monthly payments, according to a news release from L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis.

Those eligible must currently be enrolled in the General Relief Opportunities for Work, or GROW program, which provides employment and training services for young adults who face employment and educational barriers and often come from vulnerable backgrounds, including being unhoused or unsheltered.

“These young people had to develop personal strength and resilience to overcome so many challenges in their lives,” Solis said. “Much like all of us, they just need an opportunity to put their talents and abilities to work. Offering guaranteed income could very well be the key to unlocking their full potential.”

The program launched Aug. 31, according to a spokesperson from Solis’ office.

Earlier this year, L.A. County rolled out Breathe, another experimental program providing cash assistance of $1,000 per month to county residents 18 and older in poor or working-class neighborhoods who were hurt financially during the pandemic. Residents had to apply to Breathe, which is funded with federal COVID-19 relief money and conducted in partnership with the nonprofit Strength Based Community Change of Wilmington and the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research.

Last year, L.A. became the biggest city in the nation to launch a $1,000-a-month cash assistance program. About 3,200 Los Angeles households were randomly selected for the initiative by the city’s research partner, the Center for Guaranteed Income Research, city officials said.

========

Payroll