Rising inflation is making it hard for many Americans to meet all their basic needs, and thus, they want the federal government to send some type of help. As of now, there is no news of any new federal stimulus payment, but many in California could get a guaranteed monthly stimulus check of up to $1,500. Specifically, this guaranteed monthly stimulus check would go to some families in California’s Yolo County.
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Guaranteed Monthly Stimulus Check: What Is It?
The guaranteed monthly stimulus check is part of the Basic Income Pilot Program. This program aims to support households that already receive aid through CalWORKs, which is the state’s public assistance program for families.
One of the eligibility requirements for the guaranteed monthly stimulus check is that the household must have at least one child younger than six. The 54 selected families in Yolo County, the county with the highest percentage of residents living below the poverty line in the state, would get the guaranteed monthly stimulus check.
Selected families would get a monthly payment between $1,200 and $1,500, depending on family size and income sources. The families are free to spend the money on anything.
As per the authorities, the primary objective of the program is to help push the selected families above the poverty line, which is around $25,000 for a family of four in California. There is no application process for the program, and the authorities would select the applicants automatically using the eligibility criteria.
This program was approved last year by the Yolo County Board of Supervisors. The authorities will use the cannabis tax revenue to distribute the guaranteed monthly stimulus check. A point to note is that selected families will get this guaranteed monthly stimulus check in addition to the financial assistance they are already getting.
Growing Popularity Of Guaranteed Income Programs
The selected families will be sent the prepaid debit cards on April 1. After the stimulus money is sent, researchers at UC Davis will study the pilot program, as well as its impact. The researchers will collect data and conduct interviews with the families, to carry out a comprehensive study on the benefits of the additional money that these families are getting.
Overall, the pilot project will be evaluated on the basis of parents’ education and/or career attainment, as well as the mental health of parents and children during the period of the program.
It is not the first guaranteed income program that has been floated in recent times. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance and role that guaranteed income programs can play to help people meet their basic needs even during adverse conditions.
About 8,000 Californians across nine cities are already getting a guaranteed income ranging from $300 to $1,800. Similarly, the Big Leap program in Los Angeles, launched in December, is giving about $1,000 per month.
