San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced on Wednesday that the city would launch a new 18-month guaranteed income program for low-income transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, and intersex residents in the city.
The program would join other short-term and pilot guaranteed income programs in the city, including a $6 million universal basic income (UBI) for poorer artists in the city launchesd in 2020 during the pandemic. The program would also be added to the growing list of past and present UBI programs in the state, with the program joining ones launched by Stockton, Compton, Oakland, and Los Angeles. Similar statewide programs have been attempted, but failed to pass out of the Assembly and Senate in Sacramento.
San Francisco’s new program, Guaranteed Income for Transgender People (GIFT), would give $1,200 a month to 55 transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, or intersex residents over an 18 month span, starting in January 2023. While GIFT would have no strings attached, those wishing to apply have to be over the age of 18, live in San Francisco, and have a monthly income under $600. All applicants also must show a photo ID, prove their residence and income, and have to fill out a survey every three months until the program ends in June 2024.
Breed said she created GIFT to help transgender individuals, with 29% of transgender people living under the poverty line, and twice as likely to be out of work than non-trans people. She also noted that the program is one of many that targets a demographic that has higher rates of poverty and discrimination, with the guaranteed income acting as a means to help those residents out of poverty.
“We know that our trans communities experience much higher rates of poverty and discrimination, so this program will target support to lift individuals in this community up,” Mayor Breed said in a statement on Thursday. “We will keep building on programs like this to provide those in the greatest need with the financial resources and services to help them thrive.”
In a series of tweets, she added, “The GIFT program is part of the City’s larger effort to offer temporary income as a way to address poverty. It’s the first in the country to focus on transgender communities. I am so proud of how this city continues to lead in supporting and celebrating our LGBTQ community. This week is a good example of our work. Yesterday, San Francisco launched GIFT: a new guaranteed income program for trans individuals.”