Guaranteed Care Income San Francisco
Guaranteed Care Income San Francisco was a one-year pilot (June 2024-2025) that gave 10 low-income single mothers in San Francisco -- including several sex workers -- an unconditional $2,000 monthly cash payment in recognition of their unpaid caregiving labor. It was launched by the In Defense of Prostitute Women's Safety Project (a project of the US PROStitutes Collective) with support from the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women, and community partners Global Women's Strike and Women of Color/GWS; it was fiscally sponsored by Women in Dialogue. The pilot specifically targeted mothers at risk of criminalization and/or losing custody of their children to the child welfare system. Social Policy Research Associates conducted a qualitative evaluation finding improved economic stability, health, caregiving capacity and personal safety, with some participants able to reduce or leave sex work.
Sex worker advocacy, caregiving economy, single mothers, unconditional cash, child welfare prevention, San Francisco
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- In Defense of Prostitute Women's Safety Project (US PROStitutes Collective)
- City
- San Francisco
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Website
- https://uspros.net/
- Phone
- +1 415 626 4114
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 10
- Funding type
- Government, Nonprofit
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 24,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 2,000 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit
- Benefit details
Each of the 10 participants received $2,000 per month for 12 consecutive months (total of $24,000 per participant), paid via direct deposit, with the first payment issued in June 2024. This amount was set well above the $350-$1,000/month typical of comparable US guaranteed income pilots, reflecting San Francisco's high cost of living and an intent to substantively value caregiving work. Program administrators secured waivers so payments would not count as income for CalFresh, Medi-Cal, or Housing Choice Voucher eligibility, and enrolled participants received benefits counseling through Bay Legal Aid.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible applicants were low-income single mothers residing in San Francisco who were at risk of criminalization and/or of losing custody of their children to child welfare; the pool intentionally combined sex workers with other single mothers so no one had to publicly disclose sex work to participate. Within that pool, random selection prioritized women with no/low income, Black and other women of color, sex workers, women with disabilities or chronic health conditions, domestic/gender-based violence survivors, and immigrants. The online application was available in English and Spanish, and the final cohort of 10 was drawn from 33 applicants residing across five San Francisco zip codes.
Demographics
- Sex
- Female
- Gender
- Female
- Race / ethnicity targets
- No formal race requirement, but selection prioritized Black and other women of color and immigrant women, actual cohort was majority Black/African American (n=7), Latina/x or Hispanic (n=4), and Pacific Islander (n=1)
- Language
- English, Spanish
Family
- Family Status
- Parent, Single Parent
- Number of dependents (minimum)
- 1
Financial
- Employment status
- Unemployed, Underemployed, Gig / Informal
- Banked status
- Banked
Geography
- US states covered
- California
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- San Francisco
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Complementary program enrollment required
- Optional benefits counseling with Bay Legal Aid to assess impact of payments on existing public benefits
- Research / participation requirements
Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) conducted a primarily qualitative evaluation (March 2024-June 2025) under an approved IRB exemption (Solutions IRB). All 10 participants were invited to two 60-minute semi-structured interviews (at pilot start and near the end), enrollment/application data was shared with SPR via a secure platform, and a hybrid sensemaking session was held near the end of the pilot. Key findings: mothers reported improved caregiving capacity, economic stability, health/well-being, and personal safety; some participants reduced or left sex work; nearly all reported no child-welfare involvement during the program; final results were publicly released November 12, 2025.
Application Process
- How to apply
Program Administrators created an online application (available in English and Spanish) and distributed outreach materials through community partners and direct street outreach in the Mission neighborhood; they also coordinated with other ending local guaranteed income pilots to identify interested participants. This was a single-cohort, time-limited application window (33 total applications received); there is no indication of an ongoing/rolling application process.
- Selection process
Applicants were randomly selected from the eligible pool, with randomization weighted by priority characteristics (geographic area, racial identity, income level, sexual identity, and risk of criminalization or child removal) to ensure a diverse group. Randomized applicants were sorted into selected, waitlisted, not selected, and not eligible groups; selected and some waitlisted applicants were then interviewed to verify application information and describe their caregiving experience before 10 mothers were ultimately enrolled.
