Compton launches program offering 2-year guaranteed income for 800 residents

Aja Brown, the mayor of Compton, CA has launched a landmark pilot initiative called the Compton Pledge, which will provide a guaranteed income of recurring cash relief to 800 low-income residents for two years, reports CNN.

More than 20% of Compton’s 95,000 residents, who are predominantly Black and Hispanic, live in poverty, double the national average. Unemployment has risen to 21.9% since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the program. The initiative to “emphasize guaranteed income as a means of pushing towards economic and racial justice on the pathway to reparations,” Brown said in a statement.

Residents will be randomly chosen for it from a pre-verified group of low-income people. Only one member per household will be eligible.

“People in our community are going through tough times, and I know that guaranteed income could give people a moment to navigate their situation, and have some breathing room to go back to school, explore a new career path, spend time with their children, or improve their mental and emotional wellbeing,” said Brown in the statement. “Ensuring all people are able to live with dignity is something we should all strive for in America.”

The Compton Pledge will begin giving residents cash later in the year. They will receive monthly cash payments ranging from $300 to $600 over a two-year period, according to the report.