Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis announced the launch of a new guaranteed income pilot program helping 300 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24. The government program will provide $1,000 a month for 36 months for a total of $36,000 to a select group of Los Angeles County young adults.
Recipients of this new guaranteed income program must already participate in the county’s General Relief Opportunities for Work (GROW) Program. A division of GROW (called the TAYportunity Program) focuses on helping support young adults who are looking to acquire employment skills through apprenticeships and specialized training.
The program assists youth who have had limited education and career opportunities, along with those who have experienced homelessness.
A hand up, not a handout…
In the press release announcing the guaranteed income program, Supervisor Solis describes why offering this financial assistance is so important:
“These young people have had to develop personal strength and resilience to overcome so many challenges in their lives. 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 fully unlocking their potential.”
This video from KTLA 5 offers a brief rundown of some of the program’s details:
New guaranteed income programs launch around the country
There’s been a growing interest from government officials to start guaranteed income programs to help low-income households. Many of these programs receive federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), some rely on private donations, while others combine both private and public funding sources.
I’ve recently reported on some of these programs:
- The San Diego For Every Child Program offers families a guaranteed $500 a month.
- Sonoma County’s Pathway to Income Equity program gives 305 low-income families $6,000 a year for two years.
- Cook County, Illinois has a guaranteed income program that gives $12,000 to 3,250 low- and moderate-income residents.
Will these cash assistance programs work in helping those in need?
Governments are spending a lot of money on testing guaranteed income programs to determine their benefits in preventing homelessness, helping families cope with high inflation, and assisting young adults just starting out in life.
What do you think about these programs? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section. And if you appreciate this content, please give it a like and share with others. Thanks so much for reading!
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