A guaranteed income program in Palm Springs, California, has started sending recipients $800 every month for the next 18 months.

The program, which began on Monday, selected 30 recipients in March and is being run by nonprofit organizations Queer Works and DAP Health. The recipients of this program are free to spend the monthly payments in any way they see fit, according to Queer Works.

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The funding for this program, which Queer Works described as universal basic income, comes in the form of $500,000 from the city of Palm Springs.

Recipients will also participate in a study by Queer Works, which will involve surveys taken each month. The data from this program will be made available every six months, and the final report is expected to be released in winter 2024.

Applications for this program opened on March 15 and closed on March 25. The recipients of the program were notified of their selection on March 30.

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To have been eligible for this program, applicants needed to have an income of no more than 30% of the median income of Riverside County, which is equal to $16,600. Additionally, applicants needed to be clients of either Queer Works or DAP Health and be considered primary residents of Palm Springs.

This program is one of several guaranteed income programs taking place in California. In the city of El Monte, a program paying 125 applicants $500 every month is expected to begin on June 1, and in Sonoma County, recipients of the Pathway to Income Equity pilot program, who receive $500 every month, will receive their next payment on Wednesday.