Shreveport begins taking applications for single parent guaranteed income program
A new city initiative giving select single parents and guardians $660 a month began taking applications Monday.
Named the Shreveport Universal Basic Income program, it will begin with assisting a chosen group of 110 families for its inaugural year.
“The program defines a single parent as a mother, father, stepparent, grandparent, caregiver, or legal guardian with a school-age child. The resident must be functionally single, whether married or unmarried. If unmarried, the resident cannot be living with a partner,” a City of Shreveport press release read.
Shreveport received $500,000 for the program from Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, a network of mayors, according to its website, “advocating for a guaranteed income to ensure that all Americans have an income floor.” Mayor Adrian Perkins joined MGI in 2020.
Read more: Shreveport City Council postpones liquor license moratorium, supports guaranteed basic income
When MGI received a $15 million donation from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey in Dec. 2020, it was announced that MGI’s then 30 member cities would receive $500,000 apiece.
The Caddo Parish Commission provided another $432,000 to the program.
The application deadline for the Shreveport UBI is Jan. 17, and applicants can expect a response “approximately three weeks after the close of the application period,” according to a press release.
The United Way’s Financial Empowerment Center will be offering assistance with applications on a walk-in basis from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Monday – Thursday and from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Friday. The only day they will not be available is the last day of the application period on Monday, January 17, due to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
In-person assistance will also be provided at Airport Park Recreation Center from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Tuesday, January 11 and at the David Raines Recreation Center 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. on January 13.
"An estimated 25 percent of the citizens in Shreveport are living in poverty and a guaranteed income would empower recipients to address their most urgent day-to-day needs and unpredictable expenses,” Mayor Adrian Perkins said through a press release.
Visit shreveportla.gov for more information and to apply for the program.
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Kendrick Dante writes for the USA Today Network and is a government watchdog reporter in Shreveport, Louisiana. He enjoys cooking, concerts, and content. Email him at kdbrown1@gannett.com or connect on Twitter @kendrickdante.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Shreveport to begin Universal Basic Income program with 110 families
