In addition to uplifting approximately 3,200 families financially, Los Angeles’ guaranteed income pilot provides an opportunity to expand our knowledge of community investment and poverty interventions. Unfortunately, these programs alone cannot meet everyone’s needs. Currently there is an array of public assistance programs, including CALWORKS, CalFresh, WIC, the EITC, and Medicare that form the nation’s social safety net. It will provide an income floor for those without one, strengthening the social safety net and expanding access in the process. We believe that guaranteed income can serve as an addition, not an alternative, to the nation’s current social safety net. While no single program can reverse decades of economic and racial inequality that marginalize low-income people of color, BIG: LEAP can point the way towards a more equitable and prosperous future. Through BIG:LEAP, Angelenos are empowered to forge their own path towards financial security. These participants are granted the freedom to meet their most pressing needs without delay.įurthermore, the participant’s financial future becomes more secure and predictable, providing families the resources to address problems before they lead to larger and costlier burdens. GBI programs are founded upon the belief that the people enduring financial instability or poverty are best positioned to make informed financial decisions that efficiently address their household’s needs- whether that means paying for rent, a new tire, or an unexpected trip to urgent care. This means there are no restrictions on how the money can be spent and no requirements for the participants.
These are unconditional, regular, and direct cash payments to individual participants that supplement existing welfare programs. Employment alone cannot always break the cycle of poverty, and research has consistently demonstrated that direct cash aid is a powerful tool for ensuring greater stability for vulnerable Americans.īasic Income Guaranteed: Los Angeles Economic Assistance Pilot is providing approximately 3,200 individuals with $1,000 per month for 12 months. While Angelenos are doing everything in their power to achieve financial security, the burdens of a high cost of living, unaffordable housing options, and insufficient wages too often exceed families’ ability to confront those challenges on their own - and we know that the economic difficulties caused by COVID-19 will outlast the pandemic itself. The relentless poverty experienced by too many Angelenos emerges out of a lack of financial resources, not a lack of judgment. One-third of working adults in Los Angeles aren’t able to support their families with full-time work alone.
Poverty affects two out of every 10 residents in the City of Los Angeles - most of them people of color. Poverty touches the lives of more than 38 million people living in America today - close to twelve percent of the U.S.