Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf announced a “guaranteed income pilot” which gives low-income black and indigenous families $500 a month for 18 months.

The $500 monthly payments will be sent to 600 low-income families of color for 1.5 years, “no strings” attached.

On Tuesday the mayor tweeted: “Poverty is not a personal failure, it’s a policy failure. Today in Oakland we launched a guaranteed income pilot for 600 low-income BIPOC families to receive $500 a month for 18 months, no strings. We want to change the narrative.”

In a follow-up tweet, Schaaf wrote: “our goal is to add to the body of evidence that unrestricted cash to our lowest-income residents – and particularly those who’ve suffered from historical racial inequity – can improve outcomes + change systems.”

See tweets below:

Boosted by Stockton’s results, our goal is to add to the body of evidence that unrestricted cash to our lowest-income residents – and particularly those who’ve suffered from historical racial inequity – can improve outcomes + change systems.

— Libby Schaaf (@LibbySchaaf) March 23, 2021