A California city is hoping to launch a pilot program that will guarantee a monthly income of up to $900 to transgender and nonbinary residents.
The city council of Palm Springs, California, unanimously passed a bill on March 24 to provide $200,000 to DAP Health and Queer Works to design the program and apply for state funding.
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“We hope that the pilot we design will inspire the City of Palm Springs to join together with DAP Health and other funders to bring significant state funding to Palm Springs,” said David Brinkman, CEO of DAP Health. “Our goal is to develop a model that impacts the greatest number of individuals possible. We hope our pilot will help confirm that guaranteed income is a cost-effective way to create positive outcomes.”
The pilot program would distribute funding to at least 20 participants each month likely totaling somewhere between $600 and $900. Local individuals who are transgender and nonbinary will be prioritized by the program, which is expected to last for 18 months. There will be a six-month design period before the pilot program launches.
A guaranteed income is a policy that ensures individuals will receive a certain earning without any strings attached. Mayors for a Guaranteed Income will help provide guidance to the city for the design of the pilot program.
California currently allocates $35 million in funding for guaranteed income pilot programs and is expected to finalize its criteria for applications over the coming months, according to DAP Health. About half of the funding for the final program will likely come from the state and the other half will come from donors.
“Since there are very few inland California cities that are doing these pilot programs, we might be at the top of the list for state funding,” said Councilmember Christy Holstege after the motion cleared the council, according to KESQ.
The city has a population of about 45,000 people and a poverty rate of about 16.4% — above the national average of 11.4%, per the Census. In general, transgender adults are twice as likely to be unemployed as cisgender adults, according to a study by McKinsey and Company.
“People who are Trans and Non-Binary are highly marginalized in our society in general, especially economically,” said Jacob Rostowsky, CEO of Queer Works, in a statement.
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Both nonprofit organizations initially sought $900,000 from the city council to research and prepare the program, but the council ultimately opted for the lower $200,000 figure. If the city successfully procures the state funding, Rostowsky believes the city will likely have to help fund the other 50% of the program and estimates the program will cost $1.8 million, he told the Desert Sun.
“This model and this program could be used for something DAP wants to do or something Queer Works wants to do,” he told Desert Sun. “It’s not wasted time or wasted money, something will come out of this proposal if for some reason we don’t move forward with guaranteed basic income.”
