A California city hopes to begin a trial program that would provide transgender and nonbinary people with a monthly stipend of up to $900. The Washington Examiner reports, the city council of Palm Springs, California, recently approved a bill to provide DAP Health and Queer Works $200,000 to create the program and seek state funding.
The trial program would award monthly funds to at least 20 participants, with the total amount likely ranging between $600 and $900. The initiative will run for 18 months and give priority to local transgender and nonbinary people. Before the pilot program begins, there will be a six-month design process. Mayors for a Guaranteed Income will assist the city in developing the pilot program.
According to DAP Health, California presently distributes $35 million in financing for guaranteed income pilot projects and is scheduled to refine its application standards in the coming months. The state will most likely provide half of the funds for the final program, while private contributors will provide the other half.
David Brinkman, CEO of DAP Health stated, “We hope that the pilot we design will inspire the City of Palm Springs to join together with DAP Health and other funders to bring significant state funding to Palm Springs. Our goal is to develop a model that impacts the greatest number of individuals possible. We hope our pilot will help confirm that guaranteed income is a cost-effective way to create positive outcomes.” Councilmember Christy Holstege said, “Since there are very few inland California cities that are doing these pilot programs, we might be at the top of the list for state funding.”
DAP Health and Queer Works requested $900,000 from the city council to investigate and create the program, but the council decided on the lesser number of $200,000. Queer Works CEO Jacob Rostowsky, believes the city will need to pay the remaining 50% of the program, which he estimates would cost about $1.8 million if the city is successful in obtaining state financing,
