- Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s proposal would provide $1,400 per month for homeless Americans under 30
- The legislation would establish a pilot program for financial assistance and study the outcomes of individuals who receive assistance
- The pilot would last three years and provide participants with a total of more than $50,000
Progressive “Squad” member Rashida Tlaib is proposing legislation that could provide homeless youth under the age of 30 with nearly $17,000 in cash per year.
The Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act would establish a plan that would provide $1,400 in “direct cash assistance” per month — or fair market rent — to “emancipated minors and young adults under the age of 30 who are homeless.”
The bill would provide participants with cash support over a three-year period, giving them a total of more than $50,000.
It would then provide means to study participants’ housing and health outcomes.
“We cannot continue to repeat the same policy approaches that have failed to end the youth homelessness crisis,” Tlaib, D-Mich., said in a statement announcing the bill.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib proposed plan to give America’s homeless youth $1,400 per month
Tlaib’s pilot program proposal would study participants’ health and housing outcomes
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who has experienced homelessness in the past, co-signed the bill
Fellow ‘Squad’ member Ilhan Omar (right) released a bill last month that would provide financial assistance to children aging out of foster care
“By providing direct cash assistance, we can address our housing crisis while respecting the autonomy and dignity of the people receiving assistance.”
Tlaib’s office cited as the basis for the national proposal similar statewide cash assistance programs, which have shown improved outcomes among enrollees.
Her office also noted how nearly 700,000 young Americans experience homelessness in a given year, with Black Americans and LGBT Americans at higher risk than other groups.
Youth homelessness in America increased by 17 percent between 2022 and 2023, federal data show.
The proposal, Tlaib says, was created with the help of formerly homeless people.
“This bill came directly from young people with real-world experience,” she said.
“They helped draft the bill to ensure it meets the real needs of our unhoused neighbors. In the richest country in the history of the world, it is time to end homelessness.”
The bill has a number of Democratic co-sponsors, including fellow “Squad” member Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo, who has spoken openly about her past experiences with homelessness.
Last month, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., another member of the “Squad,” introduced legislation to provide a universal basic income for children aging out of the foster care system.
Omar’s legislation would create a new federal program to provide $1,000 a month for five years to young adults leaving foster care.
Tlaib’s office did not return a request for comment.