LA County to Expand Breathe Guaranteed Income Program
Early Program Success Leads to More Opportunities
Breathe, Los Angeles County’s guaranteed income program which began by supporting 1,000 County residents with $1000 a month for three years will soon expand to offer 2,000 more people a path to financial stability.
“When we started working to implement Breathe, we had a simple vision: to provide no-strings-attached funding that would mean real economic liberty for Angelenos. Since then, we have seen families be able to pay for childcare and rent and grow their savings for the first time. I am proud of this second expansion of Breathe, which will reach young people during the vulnerable stage of transitioning out of our foster care system,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell.
The program’s expansion, adopted by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Aug. 6, will provide 2,000 foster youth between the ages of 18 and 21 with $500 monthly or $1,500 quarterly stipends for up to 18 months. Youth who are eligible for this new expansion will be notified by their Department of Children and Family Services social worker. More information around eligibility can also be found here.
Guaranteed income programs provide households with cash support with no strings attached in hopes of providing financial stability and broadening recipients’ horizons, allowing them the time to complete deferred education and job training and participate more fully in their communities. Early research, like that undertaken by University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR), shows that programs are meeting these goals.
Early data from the Breathe program, gathered by CGIR, found that the additional income is being used primarily to purchase food, groceries, and household goods, resulting in a reduction of economic stress for participants. Full data and research findings on the program will be released in early 2027. The program first expanded last summer to include 200 former foster youth with $1,000 per month for two years.
Last week, Los Angeles County held a Guaranteed Income Summit, bringing together elected officials, advocates, policy makers and program recipients to collaborate on ways to sustain and grow guaranteed income programs in LA County and beyond. Panels focused on data-driven insights from programs across the country and innovative strategies for centering equity.
In addition to expanding Breathe, the County’s Poverty Alleviation Initiative is leading coordination across 12 guaranteed income projects that have launched countywide across Cities, nonprofits, and other government agencies, serving more than 8,500 participants.
More information about the Breathe program budget, including a library of video stories about Breathe recipients and a data dashboard can be found at ceo.lacounty.gov/pai/breathe/
