800 Compton residents to receive guaranteed income under 2-year pilot program

COMPTON, Calif. (KABC) -- Compton is launching a landmark pilot project to guarantee income to hundreds of residents.

It's called the Compton Pledge. Through the city-led initiative, an estimated 800 low-income residents will receive direct cash relief for two years starting later this year.

"The program will be rigorously evaluated by an independent research team," a press release stated. "Participant names will be kept anonymous, but preliminary findings will be reported at six-month intervals and a live data dashboard will be shared once disbursements begin."

The aim is to give residents some breathing room to map out their financial futures.

"People in our community are going through tough times, and I know that guaranteed income could give people a moment to navigate their situation, and have some breathing room to go back to school, explore a new career path, spend time with their children, or improve their mental and emotional wellbeing," Mayor Aja Brown said in a statement.

Supporters say guaranteed income helps to address the economic reality of racial injustice.

"There's just so much urgent need at this time, obviously, with everything people are going through as a family and certainly as a country, so Mayor Aja Brown made it a real priority to launch this program so that we can help a lot of those families in need and actually help advance a national conversation around guaranteed income," said Jamarah Hayner, co-director of the Compton Pledge.

According to the Compton Pledge website, the exact amount received will vary by participant but each will receive "at least several hundred dollars," with larger payments going to parents with multiple children. The frequency of the payments will also vary, and participants will know from the start about when they will receive them.

No taxpayer dollars are going toward the program. It is completely funded through private donations.