Fresno County has launched a basic income program providing $500 monthly to low-income families.
Fresno County Launches Its Own Basic Income Program, Providing $500 Monthly for Low-Income Families
Starting Monday, 150 households in Fresno County will get $500 prepaid cards each month for a year. This marks the start of a basic income program for low-income families in Southwest Fresno and Huron. The Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission is running the program. They started it after Fresno wasn’t chosen for California’s $25 million pilot program despite high poverty rates in the area. Andy Levine, an advisor at the commission, was surprised and disappointed by Fresno’s exclusion, but with the help of donations and they raised about $1 million to fund the program. Researchers at Fresno State will study how the money affects families’ health, stress, jobs, and children’s outcomes.
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(photo: Basic Income Today)
California Cities Take the Lead in Universal Basic Income Experimentation
This program in Fresno is part of a larger trend in California. Similar programs are starting in other places too. Sacramento County will give $725 a month to 200 families who are Black, American Indian, or Alaska Native and living below the poverty line. Pomona has a program that will give 250 residents $500 each month for 18 months. These programs have started because people are more aware of income gaps and the pandemic has made inequalities worse and there’s a push for racial justice after George Floyd’s murder in 2020, according to the report of CAL Matters.
Sean Kline, former director of the Stanford Basic Income Lab says these programs could change state and federal policies. By giving money without conditions the programs build trust and challenge negative views about poverty. Kline points out the unfairness in how financial help is viewed: middle- and upper-class tax benefits are not questioned but help for the poor is heavily scrutinized. These programs not only give immediate financial relief but also push for a fairer way to address poverty.
