LONG BEACH, Calif. (CNS) — Long Beach residents have until Jan. 17 to apply for Long Beach Pledge, the city’s guaranteed income pilot program designed to provide $500 a month for 12 months to 250 qualifying families with children.

Applications will be accepted for single-income earner households at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level in the 90813 ZIP code, a high- need area that includes parts of central, downtown and southwest Long Beach.

City officials said families in that ZIP code are among those most impacted economically by the pandemic and the resulting economic recession.

About $2 million has been set aside for the guaranteed income pilot program and its evaluation.

The program is funded through the Long Beach Recovery Act, a plan to initiate economic and public health initiatives for Long Beach residents, workers and businesses critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the American Rescue Plan Act, a federal economic stimulus bill for COVID-19 recovery.

City officials say the program will be overseen by the Long Beach Economic Development Department and rigorously evaluated through a randomized control trial conducted by an independent research team.

The online application is now open at longbeachpledge.org/apply. Applicants without computer or smartphone access may visit a public computer lab at any open Long Beach Public Library location.

Families that are not eligible can find out about other available resources through the city’s Resource Line by calling 562-570-4246.