DAP Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center, and Queer Works, a nonprofit social service agency, have announced progress on their research and design of a proposed guaranteed income pilot to benefit extremely low-income individuals.
Over the last several months, the two organizations have been researching pilots in other areas of the country, consulted with expert advisors with extensive guaranteed income pilot experience, and analyzed a variety of pilot design options. This research will help them to prepare a funding application to the State of California Department of Social Services (CDSS). This application is expected to be issued in the next several months.
“We’re making good progress on research and design,” said David Brinkman, CEO of DAP Health. “A significant amount of fundraising will also be required,” he added. “Assuming that’s successful, we’ll be able to move forward.”
In the meanwhile, the two organizations want to correct misinformation and misconceptions about the proposed pilot that have proliferated widely in the media in recent weeks. “Unfortunately, there have been many, many pre-judgments of this idea, even before our research and design phase got underway,” said Brinkman.
The primary misconception the two agencies want to correct is that all pilot participants will have the same demographic profile. “On Day 1 we definitely wanted to investigate the possibility of prioritizing people who are Transgender and Non-binary. It’s a population we work with daily and we know that so many are seriously challenged financially,” said Jacob Rostovsky, CEO of Queer Works. “Simply stating this set off a firestorm of media attention, but we hadn’t started our research yet. What we’ve learned since then is that successful guaranteed income pilots are open to applicants of all demographic backgrounds. The one commonality between participants is extremely low income. The key is to be inclusive versus exclusive. And, importantly, that approach will include Transgender and Non-binary people, too.”
The second misconception the two agencies want to address concerns the $200,000 in funding recently granted to them by the City of Palm Springs for research, design, and development of a funding application. “This isn’t a lump sum grant” said Rostovsky. “We’ll be submitting operational expenses to the City on a monthly basis and getting reimbursed. It’s not likely the full amount will be needed or used.”
About DAP Health
DAP Health is an advocacy-based health center in Palm Springs, CA serving over 10,000 patients, offering medical and mental healthcare, STI testing and treatment, dentistry, pharmacy, and lab services. A variety of wraparound services enable patients to experience optimal health, including social services, support groups, alternative therapies, and other wellness services. Excellent HIV care is provided by the largest team of specialized clinicians in the area. Click here to read more about our commitment to health equity.
DAP Health’s sexual wellness clinic offers free STI testing and treatment, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), and HIV and HCV testing. DAP Health has earned Charity Navigator’s highest rating for the twelfth consecutive year – landing DAP Health in the top 6% of nonprofits rated. The distinction recognizes that DAP Health exceeds industry standards in terms of financial health, accountability, and transparency.
Visit www.daphealth.org to learn more.
About Queer Works
Queer Works, a 501c (3) organization with headquarters in the Coachella Valley, works towards ameliorating disparities faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community in Southern California. We are especially focused on those who are homeless, impoverished, and in need of access to mental health and medical services. In July of 2021, we launched the “TransPower Project”, which gives completely free therapy and housing navigation services to the transgender and non-binary community. Visit www.queerworks.org to learn more.