San Francisco’s guaranteed basic income program for pregnant black women is expanding to four counties across California next year through state funding.
The city announced Tuesday the Abundant Birth Project program received a $5 million grant from the California Department of Social Services to bring the program to an additional 425 mothers and “birthing parents” in Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, and Riverside counties. The program will continue in San Francisco.
The Abundant Birth Project, run by San Francisco’s Department of Public Health, started in June 2021, giving $1,000 monthly payments over 12 months to 150 black and Pacific Islanders.
In counties beyond San Francisco, recipients will receive monthly incomes of $600 to $1,000 for 12 months.
“The Abundant Birth Project has proven to be successful in San Francisco and brings an innovative, equitable approach to addressing disproportionate health impacts largely among Black families, which is why I committed to investing $1.5 million over the next two years to grow the program in our City and neighboring counties,” Mayor London Breed (D) stated Tuesday.
File/Maile Chand (l to r) community researcher for Abundant Birth Project, massages her daughter Melilani Scottís, 4, legs as they spend time on a roof deck at their apartment building on Monday, September 14, 2020 in San Francisco, Calif. (Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty)
“We hope the Abundant Birth Project serves as a model to address racial birth disparities throughout the region and state, and across the country,” Breed added.
The program begins in the early stages of pregnancy “to reduce racial birth disparities by easing economic stress,” the city claims. Furthermore, the city adds that racism contributes to poor health for black and Pacific Islander mothers and infants.
“This funding will provide pregnant people with economic stability during this critical phase in their lives while allowing public health institutions to test a novel and promising public health intervention,” said Dr. Zea Malawa, Director of Expecting Justice, a partner of the program.
This is not the first far-left guaranteed basic income program the Democrat-controlled city has established.
Last month, the city announced it would start a Guaranteed Income for Trans People program that would “provide low-income transgender residents with $1,200 each month, up to 18 months,” according to local ABC affiliate KGO. The program’s online application page includes 97 gender options, 19 sexual orientation options, and 18 pronoun options, Breitbart News noted.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.