Los Angeles County residents, including those in Santa Clarita, can now officially begin applying to be one of the 1,000 residents chosen for the county’s guaranteed income program. 

The “Breath: LA County’s Guaranteed Income Program,” aims to randomly select 1,000 L.A. County residents to receive $1,000 a month for three years. 

The program comes as a reaction to financial insecurity in L.A. County, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The financial uncertainty and varying depths of poverty that millions of our constituents experience day to day cannot be addressed with a one-size-fits-all approach. Now is our opportunity to invest in support that directly reaches our residents,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Holly Mitchell.

To qualify, people must be at least 18 years old, have a household income of under $56,000 for a single person or $96,000 for a family of four and have experienced negative impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Money is set to be received by participants through a debit card, with no strings attached.  

The income program was approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors after being introduced by Mitchell and Supervisor Sheila Kuehl on May 18, 2021.

“There is ample evidence from guaranteed income projects around the country that financial support, coupled with the freedom to make their own decisions about how best to spend their money, offers families the flexibility they need to establish stability and invest in a more prosperous future for themselves,’ said Kuehl. 

A research team from the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research is set to randomly select qualified applicants as a part of a study on long-term impacts the income has on residents’ economic well-being.

Residents interested in applying for the income program can find more information here. The enrollment period opens on Thursday, March 31 and the deadline for applications is Wednesday, April 13.

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