Long Beach issues payments for guaranteed income program

The city of Long Beach announced Friday it has begun making monthly $500 payments to 250 low-income households under its guaranteed income pilot program.

The payments from the Long Beach Pledge program will continue for 12 months, provided to single-earner households with children in the 90813 ZIP code.

“Our communities need critical assistance to recover from the financial burdens of the pandemic,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “The Long Beach Pledge is providing that financial support to our most vulnerable families. We look forward to distributing these funds, evaluating the positive impacts of this pilot program and identifying expanded opportunities for guaranteed income programs.”

According to the city, 2,800 applications were received from families hoping to be included in the guaranteed income program, which was announced in November. The program targeted families with children and a single income-earner. Households in the program must be 100% below the federal poverty line.

The 250 households chosen include a total of 937 people, 583 of them children, according to the city. Nearly half of the households are Hispanic/Latino, while 38 are Black, 17 Asian/Pacific Islander and 13 white.

The Cal State Long Beach Research Foundation will be conducting a study to evaluate the impact of the payments on the chosen families.

Funding for the program comes in part through the federal American Rescue Plan Act, a COVID-19 recovery measure.

More from Long Beach