$1,000 a month program applies only to low-income communities
By Sam Catanzaro
Last week Los Angeles County launched a $1,000 a month guaranteed income program. Brentwood residents, however, are not eligible to apply for this program, regardless of their income status.
The program, called “Breathe”, launched on March 31 and will award 1,000 randomly selected qualifying residents $1,000 a month for three years.
“The course of this pandemic has revealed the large number of County residents who are living on the brink of financial crisis, with insufficient savings to weather a job loss, a medical emergency, or a major car repair. This guaranteed income program will help give residents the breathing room they need to better weather those crises,” said program co-author Supervisor Sheila Kuehl.
The enrollment period opened on March 31 and the deadline for applications is April 13. Selection will not depend on the timing of entries. The program is being overseen by the County’s Poverty Alleviation Initiative, launched last year to address poverty and income instability among LA County residents.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old and with a household income that falls at or below LA County’s average median income (AMI) of $56,000 for a single-person household or 120 percent of AMI at or below $96,000 for a family of four, for example. They must also have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, applicants are required to live within what LA County deems a low-income community. There is no neighborhood in Brentwood that qualifies for the program, according to the County’s eligibility map. It should be noted, however, that despite its reputation as being an affluent community, it is not exclusively made up of multi-million dollar homes. Brentwood does contain condos available for under $700,000 and apartments available for rent for under $2,000 per month.
A total of 1,000 participants who apply during the open enrollment period will be randomly selected by a research team from the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research, which is partnering with the County to design and implement the program. Direct monthly payments will be distributed via a debit card to selected residents and will come without strings or conditions.
After participants are selected, another 1,200 applicants will be randomly chosen to participate in the research study only, as part of a control group. Control group participants will not receive the monthly payment. They will complete periodic surveys and interviews about their well-being so that information can be compared to the treatment group and help determine whether or not the program was effective.
To learn more about the program, visit breathe.lacounty.gov
