Southwest
Texas city's guaranteed income program credited in helping reduce 'housing insecurity'
A guaranteed income program in Austin, Texas helped address the problem of housing insecurity in the city, according to a new report.
After the Austin City Council launched the measure in 2022, the state capital became the first major city in Texas to use tax dollars to fund “guaranteed income” programs. The guaranteed income program received $1.1 million in taxpayer funding and an additional amount of over $500,000 raised in philanthropic donations for the program.
The program distributed cash to low-income families.
When the program ended in August 2023, a report from the Urban Institute suggested that the program was beneficial for participants as it helped pay for basic needs like housing and food. The Urban Institute reported that participants on average used half of the funds on housing expenses.
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Austin, Texas found that implementing a guaranteed income program helped reduce homelessness. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
The Urban Institute reviewed the program for 12 months by conducting a survey and interviews, finding that “respondents reported spending most of their pilot cash on housing and said their housing security improved substantially.”
Their report also showed that participants’ employment “remained stable” and that when they reduced their hours, the time off from work was used for taking care of loved ones or training to acquire more skills.
Taniquewa Brewster, a single mother of five, told a local NBC affiliate the guaranteed income supported her when she needed it.
“That money was there right in time because it helped me pay off those bills and buy medication that I would not have been able to afford,” she said.
The program, which was launched as a pilot, issued $1,000 monthly checks to 85 households who were at risk of losing their homes.
The city of Austin explained on its website that the Guaranteed Income programs “act as a springboard for participants to find a way out of poverty to greater economic mobility and housing stability.”
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State Sen. Paul Bettencourt sent a letter earlier this month to the state Attorney General Ken Paxton requesting that he issue an opinion on whether counties have the authority to enact a guaranteed income program. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
They tout that a “consistent” flow of cash enables people to pay bills and save money.
“We know that if we trust people to make the right decisions for themselves and their families, it leads to better outcomes. It leads to better jobs, increased savings, food security, housing security,” the city said, explaining the program on its website. “The change is measurable, multi-generational and has a community-wide impact.”
The measure reportedly came at a time when Austin’s cost of living skyrocketed.
Houston is set to be the next Texas city to implement some form of a universal income program. However, the programs are facing some resistance from state lawmakers.
State Sen. Paul Bettencourt sent a letter earlier this month to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton requesting that he issue an opinion on whether counties have the authority to enact such a program.
“Would such a policy violate the gift prohibition clause in the Texas Constitution?” Bettencourt asked.
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A man armed with a knife was shot by L.A. police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call overnight, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Hollenbeck Division responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue in Boyle Heights at 1:45 a.m. Saturday after callers reported a male suspect was armed with a knife and had just assaulted someone in the complex.
Arriving officers found the suspect in front of the residence, but he did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the weapon. He then advanced toward the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred, LAPD confirmed.
“The suspect was struck by gunfire and remained non-compliant,” the LAPD Public Information Officer said on X early Saturday morning. “Officers deployed a 40mm foam round and ultimately took the suspect into custody.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows the man being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital; officials said he was transported in stable condition, adding that his knife was recovered at the scene and booked as evidence.
No officers or community members were injured during the incident. The man’s name was not released.
Dangerous rip currents and high surf are forecast for Los Angeles County beaches, including the Malibu Coast this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous beach statement, warning of the potentially deadly beach conditions. The dangerous conditions are forecast to last from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” the NWS forecast reads. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore.”
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A guide to surviving rip currents from the National Weather Service (NWS)
Minor Beach erosion and coastal flooding is possible through the weekend. The flooding is most likely to occur during evening high tides from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water and remain near lifeguard towers. Jetties and tidepools are also especially dangerous during the weekend forecast.
“Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks,” the NWS forecast reads.
Similar hazardous beach conditions are also in the forecast for Santa Barbara County. A high surf advisory is also in effect for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties this weekend, where 10 to 15-foot waves will be possible.
If you live or want to live in Los Angeles, the city controller has released a new dashboard highlighting some of the city’s most notorious problem rental properties, a tool designed to help renters avoid future headaches.
“This project comes at a time when tenants are reporting harassment and illegal evictions violating the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance and Tenant Anti‑Harassment Ordinance, but very few of the complaints end up leading to strong enforcement or real accountability,” L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia said in a media release Thursday.
The new Top 100 Problem Rental Properties dashboard includes a searchable database of all residential addresses with reported housing violation cases within the city of Los Angeles, a ranked list of the 100 addresses with the most violations and an interactive map.
“There has never before been an uncomplicated way for anyone to look up years’ worth of violations by address,” Mejia said in the release.
Data for the dashboard was compiled from multiple sources, including the Los Angeles Housing Department, Los Angeles City Planning and the L.A. County Assessor’s Office, according to the controller’s office.
The release also identified the top three addresses with the highest number of reported housing violations:
1. 636 1/2 North Hill Place, Chinatown
192 housing violation cases
2. 11700 West Wilshire Boulevard, Sawtelle
166 housing violation cases
3. 6650 West Forest Lawn Drive, Hollywood Hills
113 housing violation cases
“Our new dashboard is an easy‑to‑understand public tool that we hope will help renters and organizers document patterns of harm, as well as put pressure on both landlords and the City to act,” Mejia said. “Everyone deserves safe, stable and dignified housing.”
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