LA County launches $1K per month universal basic income program
More than 180,000 Los Angeles County residents applied for payouts, report says
Los Angeles County’s basic income program in which 1,000 residents are receiving $1,000 per month for the next three years is now underway, officials say.
The recipients in the pilot program — which the county’s Board of Supervisors established to tackle poverty and income instability — were randomly chosen from a pool of more than 180,000 who applied, according to Fox 11 LA.
"Given the huge number of L.A. County residents who applied, it's abundantly clear that a guaranteed basic income is an idea whose time has come," L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl told the station. "I'm confident that we will see what other pilots have already shown: that a guaranteed basic income, by giving people a bit of financial breathing room, allows them to stabilize their lives and that of their family."
INSIDE LOS ANGELES’ GUARANTEED BASIC INCOME PROGRAM, BIGGEST IN THE COUNTRY
A pedestrian walks along the path at Echo Park on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, in Los Angeles. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"Three years from now, I feel confident that this L.A. County program will be seen as a foundation stone that led to expanded programs providing economic opportunity and stability to every eligible American household," Kuehl added.
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Participants in Los Angeles County’s program must be 18 years old and have a household income under $56,000 for a single person or $96,000 for a family of four, amongst other requirements, Fox 11 LA reported.
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The money is being transferred in the program through a debit card, with recipients reported to be ranging in age from 18 to 91, and speaking languages including Armenian, Cantonese, Farsi, Spanish and English, officials told the station.
The program’s administrator will keep in touch with participants throughout the program and assist them to help reach their personal and financial goals, Fox 11 LA added.