Guaranteed Basic Income

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICE

County Spending Category
1.5 Breaking the Cycle of Intergenerational Poverty
Federal Expenditure Category
Household Assistance: Cash Transfers
Project Launch Date
06/15/2022
Anticipated End Date
07/15/2025

Project Contacts

Indicators & Metrics to Date

  • Number of Households Served
    1200
  • Identify CBOs to provide application support and assistance.
    30
  • Finalize Agreements with Contractors
    3
  • Random selection of participants and comparison group
    3000
  • Provide Consistent Monthly Stipend
    1200
  • Number of written surveys administered
    6
  • Number of in-person interviews administered
    1
  • Self-reported reduction in month-to-month income volatility
    0
  • Self-reported reduction in depression and anxiety
    0
  • Self-reported increase in self-determination, choice, and goalsetting at the end of the study period
    0
  • Self-reported increase in completion of coursework, skills training, and job acquisition
    0
  • Number of former LA County DCFS foster youth enrolled
    200

Target Populations

  • Systems Impacted Individuals
  • Systems Involved Individuals
  • People Experiencing Homelessness
  • People struggling financially who are over the eligibility level for public benefits

Project Description

Guaranteed income is a monthly cash payment given directly to individuals. It is unconditional, with no strings attached on how to spend it and no work requirements. It is meant to supplement, not replace, the existing social safety net. Early research suggests that cash may be the simplest yet most powerful way to do the most good for the most people. It can be powerful for three reasons. First, it moves quickly. Even with U.S. Treasury problems, 80 million American households have already received a check the government just mandated several months ago. Second, it allows for flexibility. No two American households are identical in their needs. While one will need funds for rent, others will need it for childcare, and yet others will need it for a laptop so their child can engage in distance learning. And of course, most families need something different every month. Third, many people are only partially covered by or completely left out of existing social safety net programs. Cash could help fill these gaps and help people recover more quickly from negative financial impacts experienced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Guaranteed Basic Income project will provide 1,000 Los Angeles County residents with $1,000 per month for three years, and an additional 200 former LA County DCFS foster youth with $1,000 for two years. This is an independent research project that will be used to study the effects of guaranteed income so that LA County and other jurisdictions can learn about the project’s impact on the economic stability of participants and their communities, as well as its impact on participants’ overall health and well-being. This will help with future policy development and add to the data on best practices for delivering effective supports and services to residents. Participants will be randomly selected from census tracts falling at or below the County's Area Median Household Income (AMI). Over 80% of these census tracts have also been identified as moderately, high, or highest negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Program participants do not need to participate in the research study or any other activity to remain in the program and receive their monthly payments.

Goals & Objectives

Goal Description By July 2025, provide $1,000 monthly income to 1,000 participants to reduce participant income volatility and increase their capacity to complete career/skills training programs.

Objective Description Provide consistent income to 1,000 over three years to help people take care of their needs and reduce the pressure they feel to do so.

Activity Description Identify 30 trusted community-based partners able to provide application assistance to those applicants who are interested in that by serving as a drop-in center and phone call hotline during the application process window
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Program Outcome Identify CBOs to provide application support and assistance. 30.00 30.00

Activity Description Finalize agreements with project contractors for program administration and research
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Program Outcome Finalize Agreements with Contractors 3.00 3.00

Activity Description Randomly select 1,000 treatment group and 2,000 control group participants
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Program Outcome Random selection of participants and comparison group 3000.00 3000.00

Activity Description Enroll 1,000 participants into the treatment group and provide them with no or low fee debit cards that will load $1,000 electronically each month for 3 years
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Program Outcome Provide Consistent Monthly Stipend 1000.00 1000.00

Objective Description Partner with the University of Pennsylvania to facilitate the collection of survey and in-person interview data for analysis

Activity Description Administer written research surveys every 6 months to evaluate program results
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Program Outcome Number of written surveys administered 6.00 6.00

Activity Description Administer in-person interviews to evaluate program results
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Program Outcome Number of in-person interviews administered 2.00 2.00

Outcome Description By distributing $1,000 per month for three years to participants, we anticipate seeing a reduction in income volatility or the month-to-month income fluctuations for participants at the end of the study period.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Program Outcome Self-reported reduction in month-to-month income volatility

Outcome Description By providing consistent income to 1,000 participants over three years to help them take care of their needs, we anticipate seeing a reduction the amount of self-reported depression and anxiety and improved feelings of well-being self-reported by participants at the end of the study period.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Program Outcome Self-reported reduction in depression and anxiety

Outcome Description By providing consistent income to 1,000 participants over three years to help them take care of their needs, we anticipate seeing an improvement in self-reported participant attitudes of self-determination, choice, and goalsetting at the end of the study period.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Program Outcome Self-reported increase in self-determination, choice, and goalsetting at the end of the study period

Outcome Description By providing consistent income to 1,000 participants over three years to help them take care of their needs, we anticipate seeing an improvement in participants’ prospects for stable employment by increasing completion of coursework, skills training, other related activities, or job acquisition by the end of the study period.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Program Outcome Self-reported increase in completion of coursework, skills training, and job acquisition

Goal Description Provide consistent income to 200 former LA County DCFS foster youth over two years to help them take care of their needs and reduce the pressure they feel to do so.

Objective Description Enroll 200 former LA County DCFS foster youth to the Breathe program

Activity Description Number of former DCFS foster youth enrolled.