United Way Partners With Sacramento County For Family Support Pilot

By Robert J. Hansen | OBSERVER Staff WriterIn 2019, Stockton became the nation’s first city to launch a guaranteed income program for its most disadvantaged residents. The program provided 25 low-income households with $500 a month for two years.A study conducted by the University of Tennessee and the University of Pennsylvania found the program to be a success, showing participants experienced better health, found new job opportunities, and were less burdened by unexpected expenses.At the time, Michael Tubbs was Stockton’s mayor, and he worked with private donors to make the program possible. Tubbs, now 34, praised the Sacramento County supervisors for establishing a county guaranteed income pilot program.Sacramento County’s Department of Child, Family, and Adult Services has partnered with United Way California Capital Region to launch the Family First Economic Support Pilot. This program offers qualifying families guaranteed payments of $725 a month for one year.“They’re showing great leadership, and I think it’s amazing that the Board of Supervisors found a revenue source to transition the program from pilot to policy,” Tubbs said.The Family First Economic Support Pilot, primarily funded by state grants, is intended to support prevention and early intervention of foster care with a goal of keeping families...