More than 200 San Francisco families likely facing homelessness will be part of a pilot program funded by Google that will guarantee them $1,000 a month to use in any way they wish.
Under the new program, 225 families will be randomly selected to receive $1,000 monthly cash payments for a year, while another 225 families, who represent the control group, will receive $50 a month, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Participants can use this money however they choose.
Called “It All Adds Up”, the program is a five-year study of the impact of guaranteed basic income on a family.
Guaranteed basic income is generally a set amount of money given to someone on a recurring basis that they can use for anything they wish.
The pilot program will be based in San Francisco and operated by San Francisco nonprofits Compass Family Services and Hamilton Families. It will be funded by Google and J-Pal.
According to Alphabet, the company that owns Google, the results of the program will be studied and evaluated by New York University’s Housing Solutions Lab.
The program’s website says that more than 70% of the families enrolled in the pilot are headed by single mothers of color with children under five.
To be eligible for the program, families must be nearing the end of a rental subsidy program provided by Compass Family Services or Hamilton Families, the It All Adds Up website said.
According to the nonprofits running the program, about 30 families are now enrolled in the program. More families will be added each month until all 450 spaces are filled.
“We’re hoping that this will provide a softer landing for families who are exiting our subsidy programs and help them maintain financial stability,” Hamilton Families CEO Kyriell Noon told the Chronicle.