Three Los Angeles city council members are proposing an expansion of a guaranteed basic income program Tuesday to help victims of domestic abuse and foster youth.
Curren Price, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, and Hugo Soto-Martinez joined advocates at a news conference to share the results of the pilot program, which ran from January 2022 to March 2023. It provided $1,000 a month for a year to 3,200 low-income households.
Implemented by the city’s Community Investment for Families Department, the program helped families cover emergency expenses, reduce food insecurity, pay for school, start small businesses, and buy clothes for children.
The council members proposed a motion on Tuesday to expand the program, allocating $4 million to $5 million to help victims of intimate partner violence and foster youth aged 16 to 24.
Similar programs have been implemented in Oakland, Marin County, San Francisco, and Santa Clara County.