$2,700,000 To Be Given Away, No Strings Attached, As Google-Backed Guaranteed Income Pilot Prepares for Launch

Tech giant Google is backing a new multi-million dollar guaranteed income project.

The pilot program, dubbed “It All Adds Up,” is preparing to give a total of $2.7 million to 225 families that are struggling with homelessness in San Francisco.

The five-year program will begin by giving $1,000 per month to each family for one year.

“It takes four full-time minimum wage jobs to afford a two-bedroom apartment in San Francisco. In addition to rent, many families spend guaranteed income on basic necessities – and in doing so, they can begin to lift up and think beyond the day-to-day…

Here in the U.S., pilots have taken off in every region—from Tacoma, Washington, to Madison, Wisconsin, and Gainesville, Florida. But no one has evaluated the impact of GBI on Bay Area families and housing stability until now.”

An additional 225 families will act as a control group for the study by receiving $50 per month for a year.

The program is open to families who have used the Compass Family Services or Hamilton Families housing programs.

Participants will be able to use the money however they choose, and researchers will use administrative data and information collected from surveys to track the outcomes.

The program is backed by Google’s charitable arm, known as Google.org, and The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab.

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