Long Beach Now Accepting Applications For Guaranteed Income Program

The application for Long Beach’s expanded guaranteed income pilot program has opened.

The Long Beach Pledge program will give 200 more families $6,000 over the course of a year as a way of intervening earlier to prevent homelessness in the city.

About the program

The pilot was launched in November 2022 under the Long Beach Recovery Act, which had millions in federal, state, and county COVID-19 relief funds, according to the city.

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The recovery program funds economic and public health initiatives for people, workers, and businesses in Long Beach. Initially, $2 million was set aside for the guaranteed income program.

For the first round, 250 households were selected to receive $500 a month for one year. The city started distributing those payments in May 2023.

So far, 983 people have benefitted from the program, more than half of which are children, according to Long Beach. Of the participating households, about 45% are Hispanic / Latinx and 15% are Black.

Now, the program is expanding with $1.2 million from the city’s local emergency on homelessness fund, which was approved by the Long Beach City Council last January.

“From the first cohort of this program, we learned more about the extent of the financial and housing insecurities residents face locally,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “Through the program’s expansion, we are continuing to provide critical financial support to families most in need. I encourage all eligible residents to apply so they can receive financial support for everyday necessities.”

Who is eligible

To be eligible for the guaranteed income pilot program, families need to be living in the 90802, 90804, 90805, 90806, or 90810 zip codes with children or dependents under 18 years old.

If someone in the house is pregnant, you should include the unborn child as well. And if you don’t have a residence, you can use the address of a shelter, library, or local organization whose services you use. A P.O. Box address will not be accepted.

A map of the eligible zip codes for the city of Long Beach's guaranteed income pilot program.

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Long Beach Pledge

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Your income must also be 100% or less than the federal poverty level for your household size.

The application will do the math for you, but if you want to know what the cut-off is, you can use this calculator. For example, a family of four with a gross household income at or under $30,000 a year would be able to apply for the program.

The criteria was designed by a community working group as a way to target the people hit hardest by the pandemic, and concentrate the pilot program to the areas of Long Beach that have the highest need, according to the city.

How can I apply

The application process takes about 30 minutes and can only be completed by one person. It is available in English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog through Jan. 24.

You can apply online here, but if you don’t have access to a computer or smartphone, any of the Long Beach Public Library locations can help.

According to the city, application assistance will also be available at the following locations:

• Family Learning Center at Billy Jean King Main Library 
  
  • Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. 
    
• Family Learning Center at Michelle Obama Library 
  
  • Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
    
• Family Learning Center at Burnett Neighborhood Library 
  
  • Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
    
• The Workplace 
  
  • Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
    
• Future LB 
  
  • Mondays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
    

You can also email apply@longbeachpledge.org for support.

You’ll be asked to upload documents to verify your residency and income, but families won’t be chosen on a first come first serve basis, so there is no advantage to applying earlier.

Once the window closes, all the applications will be screened and families will be randomly selected to receive the payments. If your household is chosen, you will be contacted by the Long Beach Pledge team through the phone number or email listed on your application.

The city expects that process to take about two months, with the first $500 payments getting sent out in the spring.

According to the city, the money will be considered a charitable gift and “should not be taxable." Additionally, there are no rules about how families can spend it.