SOME Americans are receiving checks worth up to $1,500 from a guaranteed income program.
Those who qualified will get money sent to them monthly for years.
The “Breathe” program is part of an effort to alleviate poverty in Los Angeles County, California.
The county is giving out thousands to more than one thousand individuals.
HOW IT WORKS
Guaranteed income programs are designed to give people regular cash with few, if any, strings attached.
Advocates say these programs are more effective than welfare, which can be pulled if the beneficiary starts making “too much” money to qualify.
LA County’s Breathe program started in 2022, and aimed to give 1,000 residents $1,000 monthly for three years.
In 2023, the program was expanded to provide 200 former LA County foster children $1,000 monthly for two years.
Then, in August 2024, the program was expanded to over 2,000 foster youth between the ages of 18 and 21.
However, this wave of the program is only paying $500 monthly or $1,500 quarterly.
Those who qualified will get money for 18 months.
The application period has now closed.
For more details on who qualifies and other resources for those looking to help themselves out of poverty, check the county’s website.
How does Guaranteed Income work?
Guaranteed Income and Universal Basic Income programs have taken off in popularity recently.
After the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan of 2021 sent stimulus money to local governments, dozens began testing guaranteed income (GI) systems.
The specifics vary, but GI typically involves payouts to people with low incomes. Unlike traditional welfare, there are no job requirements, drug tests, or other strings attached.
Some have pushed for a Universal Basic Income (UBI), which would go to everyone regardless of how much money they make at work. Alaska has used a similar system since the 1970s.
Proponents say this alleviates poverty while incentivizing work, unlike classic welfare, which cuts benefits from people who begin earning “too much” money to qualify.
Opponents argue such a system is too expensive to function on a large scale and suggest Americans should avoid becoming reliant on government money.
With some cities heralding the success of GI programs, some Republican-led states have moved to ban them. States like Texas and Iowa, for example, have undermined major spending plans by pushing against GI.
HAND-UPS
The program has released a series of videos sharing testimonies from Breathe recipients.
One official working for the program said they don’t call the payments “handouts,” but rather “hand-ups” to help people improve their lives.
Darien, a single mother of five, was one of the hundreds selected for payments.
“I don’t get a lot of help,” she said. “For the next couple of years that I get it, I’m able to save up.”
She said she ultimately plans to open a food truck.
Single mother Jackie was sleeping in her car with her 10-year-old daughter when she joined the program.
“We weren’t living anymore, we were just trying to survive,” she said, adding that she now plans to return to school using the money.
MORE MONEY
The U.S. Sun has tracked a variety of programs paying people directly.
A similar program in Sacramento is paying some Americans $850 monthly.
The program is reserved for those with children under five.
Some families could be eligible for $2,000 monthly.
Another program, run by a non-profit, is set to pay some Illinois residents $500 per month.
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