Los Angeles is making moves to double down on a pilot program that offered a lifeline to some of its most vulnerable residents by providing $1,000 per month in guaranteed basic income. Amid the findings of a new study, LA City Council members are pushing to further the program. Councilmen Curren Price, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, and Hugo Soto-Martinez introduced a motion Tuesday to secure a $4 million to $5 million investment in hopes of expanding the initiative, as reported by ABC7. Through the Basic Income Guaranteed: Los Angeles Economic Assistance Pilot (BIG:LEAP), 3,200 low-income families received unconditional financial assistance.
Participants took advantage of this support net to cover emergency costs, lessen food insecurity and were empowered to fully start chasing after career opportunities that had before seemed a distant dream. According to a Los Angeles Times article, the program saw LA residents land better jobs, move out of unsafe living conditions, and separate from abusive partners. It even paved the way for healthier living, and allowed parents to invest in their children's future through sports and clubs.
Moreover, the program, which was originally proposed by Price in 2021, not only supported basic needs but also spurred participants to launch small businesses and pay for educational costs. "Through this program, we witnessed transformation beyond measure," Price told ABC7. His aim, alongside his colleagues, is oriented towards expanding this successful foundation to address the predicaments of domestic abuse victims and foster youth.
The encouraging results have been underpinned by research from the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at Penn's School of Social Policy & Practice and UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health. Quintessentially, the study showed potential for these programs to not only act as band-aids for emergencies but also to significantly alter the trajectories towards a less fraught and more secure living situation. "This is the first large-scale randomized controlled trial in North America studying intimate partner violence, guaranteed income, and community violence since the late 1970s," explained Amy Castro, as stated by ABC7.
