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SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – The City of Shreveport will begin accepting applications Monday for a pilot program offering guaranteed income of at least $600 a month to more than 100 households in the city for one year.

Single parents interested in applying can go to www.shreveportla.gov from 8 a.m. on January 10 through 11:59 p.m. on January 17 to fill out an application. One hundred and ten participants will be selected for the program and receive $660 a month for a year.

To qualify, you must live in Shreveport, be a single parent, and earn below 120% of the Federal Poverty Level, which ranges from an annual income of $17,420 for a family of two to $44,660 for a family of eight. Single mothers, fathers, stepparents, grandparents, caregivers, or legal guardians with school-age children can apply. The applicant can not be living with a partner whether they are married or unmarried.

The money is unconditional. There are no work requirements and no restrictions on how the money can be spent.

“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,” said Mayor Adrian Perkins. “UBI with the resources at the Shreveport Financial Empowerment Center would create a catalyst for better educational outcomes, substantive improvements in physical and mental health, significant reduction of predatory debt, and greater confidence in having basic necessities met.”

Mayor Adrian Perkins

Locations available to help fill out the application include:

  • United Way’s Financial Empowerment Center: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. on Friday. They will be closed on Monday, January 17, for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
  • Airport Park Recreation Center: 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan.
  • David Raines Recreation Center: 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 13

Selected participants will be contacted approximately three weeks after the application period ends.

The resolution was passed by the Shreveport City Council in September as part of a nationwide pilot program. Multiple cities will test and study the effectiveness of a Universal Basic Income program in the United States. Participating families’ income, employment, financial stability, and mental and physical health will be monitored, as well as changes in school-aged children’s behavior, school attendance, and academic performance.

Mayors for Guaranteed Income (MGI), the United Way of Northwest Louisiana, and the Shreveport Financial Empowerment Center (SFEC) partnered to fund and administer the program. The MGI, of which Mayor Adrian Perkins is a founding member, provided $500,000 towards the program, with another $432,000 approved by the Caddo Parish Commission to match the funds.

“It’s important for me to support low-income, single-parent households with school-aged children who often struggle to make ends meet,” said Caddo Parish Commissioner Stormy Gage-Watts. “The possibilities are endless and my colleagues and I are honored to partner with this initiative to help improve the quality of life of our citizens in Caddo Parish.”