Qualified Long Beach residents can now apply to receive $500 monthly payments over the course of a year thanks to the Long Beach Pledge, the city’s guaranteed income pilot program for 250 single-parent families living in the 90813 ZIP code.
To be eligible, applicants must be single parents or live in a single-headed family with only one income earner. They must reside in the 90813 ZIP code and they must live at or below the federal poverty line. For a family of four, the maximum annual income would be $27,750.
Applicants will not be asked to provide proof of citizenship. Unhoused people are also eligible as long as they meet the criteria and use services in the ZIP code. Those who do not have a residential address may use an address for a shelter, library or local organization whose services you use.
The application is open for eligible residents now through Jan. 17, 2023, at 4:59 p.m. on the Long Beach Pledge website and only takes about five minutes to complete. The form asks for basic information like a name, address, race and ethnicity, and annual income depending on family size.
Applicants who do not have a computer or internet access may visit any Long Beach Public Library to fill it out in English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog.
Once they are filled out, selected applicants will be asked to submit documents verifying they meet the eligibility criteria in order to begin receiving the payments.
According to the newly launched Long Beach Pledge website, families that are chosen will also receive tools to help them succeed along with their monthly payments including financial counseling and supportive services. Those services could include free child care, transportation support, workforce training and support for digital inclusion like cell phones and internet connection.
The city has partnered with the nonprofit organization Fund for Guaranteed Income (F4GI) to help facilitate the program and build a platform to administer payments and connect participants to supportive services. F4GI recently launched a similar guaranteed income program in Compton which provided 800 families with payments between $300 and $600 every month for two years, no strings attached.
“The Compton Pledge, Fund for Guaranteed Income’s flagship pilot, is a community’s vision for freedom — delivering funds residents have used to start nonprofit organizations, purchase food, and pay for unaffordable rent,” said Nika Soon-Shiong, founder and executive director of F4GI and Director of the Compton Pledge. “I am honored to extend the pledge across city lines and deliver critical support to the residents of Long Beach!”
To apply for the Long Beach Pledge, visit the application portal here. Families that are not eligible can find out about other available resources through the city’s Resource Line by calling (562) 570-4246.
Long Beach’s guaranteed income pilot program will start taking applications this month