San Francisco launches guaranteed income program for trans-identified residents
San Francisco is launching a guaranteed income program specifically for trans-identified residents even as the city struggles with what some say are mounting issues of crime and homelessness.
Under the Guaranteed Income for Trans People (GIFT) Program, low-income, trans-identified residents will receive $1,200 each month for up to 18 months to “help address financial insecurity within trans communities,” Mayor London Breed announced on Nov. 16.
Fifty-five applicants will be selected for the pilot program, which lasts from January 2023 to June 2024.
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To qualify, applicants must be 18 years of age or older and identify as “transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, or intersex,” according to the program’s website.
Eligible applicants must also reside in San Francisco, receive no more than $600 in monthly income, and complete a survey every three months. Undocumented residents who are in the U.S. illegally will be eligible for the program.
In addition to receiving funds via a debit card that will be reloaded each month, the GIFT program will also provide a range of services, including “gender affirming” medical and mental health care and financial coaching.
While the city offers a number of guaranteed income programs, the GIFT program is the first guaranteed income initiative to focus solely on trans-identified people, according to the site.
It also prioritizes specific residents of the city and county of San Francisco, namely trans-identified individuals, people of color, those who are homeless or living with disabilities, “monolingual Spanish speakers,” and other “legally vulnerable” segments of the population.
The mayor's office did not respond to a request for comment from The Christian Post by press time.
The GIFT program mirrors other San Francisco income programs, such as the Abundant Birth Project, which offers $1,000 in monthly payments for mothers who identify as black and Pacific Islander and “pregnant people” during and after pregnancy.
The payments apply for their first trimester until two years postpartum, according to the city. As many as 150 birthing parents are expected to enroll in Abundant Birth by the end of the year, officials said.
Last year, San Francisco launched another guaranteed income pilot program for local artists affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The partnership between the city, the San Francisco Arts Commission and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts provides 190 artists who live and work in San Francisco with monthly payments of $1,000 for up to 18 months.
Eligible artists include those involved in music, dance, creative writing, visual art, performance art, installation, photography, theater or film. Teaching artists, arts educators, and culturally-based craft workers and makers are also eligible.
The rollout of these “social safety net” programs comes as San Francisco grapples with record-high rates of crime and homelessness, including a sharp rise in larceny theft, which is up 15% since the start of the year and includes vehicular smash and grabs and shoplifting.
Prior to the recall of District Attorney Chesa Boudin in June, residents complained about policies that have led to a number of issues linked to the city’s homeless population, including defecation on sidewalks and public drug use.
One resident told Fox News that rising crime in the city is directly linked to an uptick in homelessness.
"San Francisco is one of those places where if you're looking for a more liberal, I guess, tolerant environment and you're homeless, you're going to come here," he was quoted as saying.
Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ian.giatti@christianpost.com.
