Applications open Friday for a pilot guaranteed income program that will give thousands of Los Angeles residents $1,000 monthly payments for one year.
More than 3,200 applicants will be chosen at random to receive “unconditional,” recurring direct cash payments as part of the BIG:LEAP program — with no restrictions on how the money can be spent.
People can apply on bigleap.lacity.org starting 8 a.m. Friday. The 10-day application period closes on Nov. 7.
Angelenos that are randomly selected to participate will be asked to provide documentation to prove they meet these eligibility requirements:
- Must be an adult with at least one dependent, or be pregnant
- Must be a resident of the City of Los Angeles
- Must have an income at or below the federal poverty level
- Experienced medical or economic impact due to COVID-19
Here are the 2021 federal poverty level income numbers, as detailed by the Department of Health and Human Service:
- $12,880 for individuals
- $17,420 for a family of 2
- $21,960 for a family of 3
- $26,500 for a family of 4
- $31,040 for a family of 5
- $35,580 for a family of 6
- $40,120 for a family of 7
- $44,660 for a family of 8
Once a participant’s eligibility for the guaranteed income program is confirmed, they will receive a debit card that will be reloaded with $1,000 every month, with the first disbursement expected in January 2022.
Others who will not receive monthly cash deposits will also be randomly selected to participate as a control group in the research part of the program.
Those who need help applying in-person can call 311 to get a list of community groups providing assistance.