Guaranteed income programs like one in Tacoma are gaining traction across the country

Tacoma on Monday joined a number of governments across the nation in offering what’s called a guaranteed income to some residents with lower incomes.

Such programs offer qualifying people a monthly stipend they can use for what they see fit. Proponents say it allows people a chance to increase their standard of living and help their families.

Los Angeles County this year has approved two programs to provide guaranteed income, Forbes reported earlier this month, including $1,000 payments to 1,000 residents for three years.

The state of California is implementing its own plan, according to the Associated Press, setting aside $35 million for “qualifying pregnant people and young adults who recently left foster care with no restrictions on how they spend it.”

“California’s plan is taxpayer-funded and could spur other states to follow its lead,” according to the AP.

Across the country in Alexandria, Virginia, city leaders last month approved a guaranteed income plan that will pay $500 a month to 150 Alexandria households for two years, with no restrictions on how the money can be used.

Mayors from more than 50 U.S. cities, including Tacoma’s Victoria Woodards, belong to Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, which promotes basic income programs. In Tacoma, about 100 people will qualify to receive $500 per month for 12 months.

“I support a guaranteed income because even before the COVID-19 pandemic, our low-income families and residents were living paycheck-to-paycheck, and were unable to save for an emergency or find a path out of poverty,” Cambridge, Massachusetts Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui said on the MGI website. “A guaranteed income would invest in and support those families and residents during a time they need it most.”

Not everyone agrees.

A Pew Research Center survey found from last year found that a narrow majority of Americans oppose such programs.

This story was originally published August 10, 2021 at 1:26 PM.