Google is partnering with San Francisco area nonprofits to provide a financial boost for families who are facing homelessness.
The It All Adds Up program will provide financial assistance to qualified families. Families must be nearing the end of rental subsidy programs provided by local nonprofit agencies to be eligible for the program.
Reportedly, 225 randomly selected participants will receive $1,000 monthly cash payments for a year, and an additional 225 families will receive $50. Participants can use the money however they choose.
“We’re hoping that this will provide a softer landing for families who are exiting our subsidy programs and help them maintain financial stability,” Hamilton Families CEO Kyriell Noon told the San Francisco Chronicle.
About 30 families are currently enrolled in the program. More participants will be added each month until all 450 spaces are filled. More than 70% of the families currently enrolled in the programs are led by single mothers of color with children under the age of five.
Compass Family Services and Hamilton Families will operate the San Francisco-based pilot program, which will be funded by Google and J-Pal.
According to the program’s website, the initiative is based on a five-year study of the impact of guaranteed basic income on a family.
“Over the next five years, with support from Google.org and J-PAL North America, and in partnership with New York University, this pilot is on a mission to prove that housing stability is more attainable when families who have recently experienced homelessness have just a little more room to breathe.”
NYU’s Housing Solutions Lab will study the program’s results to determine how effective the payments are in helping families remain in long-term housing. Researchers will also assess the impact on participants’ health and financial outcomes.
Google’s participation in this program is part of its $1 billion pledge to fight the housing crisis in the San Francisco area.
