Applications will soon open for a guaranteed income program for foster youth in Los Angeles County.
The program, called “Breathe,” will provide 200 eligible residents with $1,000 a month for three years.
Selected recipients will receive their monthly payments through debit cards. No bank account is required to participate.
To be eligible, applicants must be:
– Between 21 years old and under 24 (won’t turn 24 until September 1, 2023, or later) when applying
– Be a former LA County DCFS Foster Youth who was in care on or after their 18th birthday (aka “aged out”)
– Live in a Los Angeles County neighborhood that falls at or below 100% of the County’s Area Median Household Income (AMI)
– Have a household income that falls at or below 100% AMI for a single-person household or 120% AMI for a household of two or more persons
– Have been negatively financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
– Not be currently enrolled in another Guaranteed Income project offered by the County, a city, or other public or private entity
The application period will open on June 20 at 6 a.m. through July 3 at 11:59 p.m. Applications can only be filled out online using a computer, tablet, or cell phone. The selection of recipients will not depend on the timing of entries.
Only one person per household will be eligible to participate in the program.
“Young people exiting the foster care system need our support as they pursue their education, career, and dreams,” said Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. “The expansion of LA County’s BREATHE Guaranteed Income Program to include former foster youth makes it one of the longest-running and largest in the nation with $40.8 million in direct payments. By collaborating with community partners, foster care agencies, educational institutions, and local nonprofits, BREATHE aims to bridge the gap and provide essential support for young people, who deserve our support.”
The “BREATHE” guaranteed income program was first introduced in 2022 as a pilot project open to any resident over 18 years old.
L.A. County officials said the project is meant to address inequities that have been highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic in low-income communities.
“Other guaranteed income programs have proven to disrupt longstanding cycles of poverty and economic inequity by enabling participants to self-determine the budgetary strategies that will most benefit themselves and their families,” said program organizers.
County officials said recipients typically use the money to pay bills, attend school and care for themselves and their families.
The program’s three-year financial commitment is believed to be one of the longest for a program of its size and scope, allowing the University of Pennsylvania researchers to study the longer-term impacts of the additional income on recipients’ economic well-being.
“There is so much we still do not know about the power of unconditional cash over a longer period of time,” said Amy Beth Castro from the University of Pennsylvania. “With a three-year pilot, it opens up the possibility for families to set larger goals than we have seen in other experiments and it also gives policymakers a chance to learn how unconditional cash functions alongside other programs over time.”
A link for interested applicants to apply can be found here. When the application is live, the link to apply will open.
For additional assistance, call the Strength Based Community Change hotline at 323-736-2122 from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Applicants can also visit multiple drop-in centers across the county. The full list of centers can be found here.
For program information in Spanish, click here.
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