$1000/mo with no strings attached: Can guaranteed basic income help solve poverty in LA?

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LA’s taxpayer-funded $38 million program called “BIG:LEAP” will allot $1,000 per month to 3,200 families in poverty, starting in January 2022. Photo by Shutterstock.

Starting in January and throughout 2022, the City of LA plans to give 3,200 families in poverty $1,000 a month — with no conditions. The $38 million program is called “BIG:LEAP.” To be eligible, families must live in LA, have at least one dependent child, and earn income at or below the federal poverty level.

“If they gave me this, it would really help me a lot because I would have enough time to go look for a job,” says LA resident Bonnie Morales. “After the pandemic, we have gotten no break. It’s the rent, the bills, the rent, the bills, the baby, food.”

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