The city of Palm Springs in California has approved $200,000 to advance a pilot program that would provide a guaranteed universal basic income for individuals who identify as transgender or non-binary or are a member of the LGBTQ community. As part of the program, recipients would receive up to $900 per month to spend as they please.

The pilot comes from the efforts of two nonprofit groups, DAP Health and Queer Works. The two organizations brought forward their plans for the universal basic income program to the city council and it was unanimously approved late last month. Along with the $200,000 funding, the two groups are planning to secure a portion of the $35 million available in state funding. The state funding that they are going to apply for is reserved for similar programs that provide a universal basic income. While the program is in the works, DAP Health and Queer Works have detailed that they would need at least $900,000 to have the program fully funded.

While the program has yet to be designed, there are still some questions regarding who can qualify, exactly how much they could qualify for, and how they can prove their eligibility. As a result of the unanimous vote, Palm Springs has made national headlines over the past week regarding the pilot program.

The city’s initiative of a universal income geared toward members of the LGBTQ community, specifically transgender and those who identify as non-binary, is one of the first of its kind. There is a range of universal basic income programs throughout the nation; however, a majority of them target the most vulnerable and those who stand to benefit from unrestricted financial assistance.

The executive director and founder of Queer Works, Jacob Rostovsky, is a proponent of the program because of the increased scrutiny and legislative rollbacks aimed at transgender individuals and those who identify as LGBTQ. Research seemingly supports the notion that transgender and non-binary individuals are more likely to face financial hardship. In a study done by UCLA's Williams Institute, individuals who identify as LGBTQ have a 21.6% poverty rate as compared to the 15.7% poverty rate of those who identify as cisgender and straight. Those who identify as transgender have an especially high poverty rate of 29.4%. Supporters of a universal basic income for members of the LGBTQ community argue that having assistance in the form of a financial program would allow these individuals to establish financial security.

Rostovsky shares with NPR "When you look at the trans community, we have to decide if we eat, have safe housing or receive medical treatment, or, for us, gender-affirming care.” With funds from a universal basic income program, "you don't have to think about choosing anymore. You can have the freedom to address all of your needs."

Despite the support, there are critics who that argue such a program is unfair and even discriminatory. The mayor of Palm Springs has also shared with several news outlets that while the city has greenlit the efforts, it doesn't necessarily mean that the city has agreed to provide funding for the program. Middleton shared in a city meeting last week that the approval for the $200,000 will go to Queer Works and DAP Health to help them “build out a pilot and to do the homework that is necessary to complete an application process to the State of California.” She emphasized, "None of that $200,000 is going to provide benefits in the form of income to anyone. That is not what we approved. We approved providing funding so DAP and Queer Works provide an application."

While the city has made it a point to support those who are most vulnerable in the community, their latest move has been the target of public backlash, primarily from conservatives. Despite this, DAP Health and Queer Works vow to push forward in helping advance LGBTQ rights.