New Orleans Guaranteed Income Program
The New Orleans Guaranteed Income Program was a guaranteed income pilot launched in April 2022 by Mayor LaToya Cantrell and administered by the City's Office of Youth and Families. It provided $350 monthly, no-strings-attached cash payments for 10 months to 125 "opportunity youth" ages 16-24 in Orleans Parish who were disconnected from work and school. Participants were referred through nine community-based organizations and received funds via a MoCaFi prepaid debit card. The pilot was affiliated with Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI) and evaluated by the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR).
Opportunity Youth, Guaranteed Income, MoCaFi, Debit Card, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, Louisiana, Foster/Juvenile-Justice-Adjacent Referral Network
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- City of New Orleans - Office of Youth and Families
- City
- New Orleans
- State / Province
- Louisiana
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 504 658 2598
- oyf@nola.gov
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 125
- Funding type
- Government, Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 3,500 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 350 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 10 months
- Distribution Type
- Debit Card
- Benefit details
Participants received $350 per month for 10 months (total $3,500) via a MoCaFi (Mobility Capital Finance) prepaid debit card, with no restrictions on use. City data show funds were spent primarily on food and groceries (roughly 37-49% depending on measurement period), retail/discount stores, transportation, and housing/utilities. OYF also partnered with United Way of Southeast Louisiana to provide benefits counseling to all participants.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible participants were young people ages 16-24 in Orleans Parish who were "disconnected" from both work and school (opportunity youth); New Orleans was the only MGI-funded city supporting individuals under 18. There was no public application; participants were referred through nine community-based partner organizations: ALAS, Collegiate Academies, Healthy Start, New Orleans Public Schools, Youth Empowerment Project, New Orleans Youth Alliance, Louisiana Center for Children's Rights, and Educators for Quality Alternatives.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 16
- Maximum age
- 24
Financial
- Employment status
- Unemployed
Geography
- US states covered
- Louisiana
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- New Orleans
- Counties covered
- Orleans Parish
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Complementary program enrollment required
- United Way of Southeast Louisiana benefits counseling (provided to all participants as a wraparound service, not a stated eligibility requirement)
- Research / participation requirements
Program administered by the City's Office of Youth and Families and independently evaluated by the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR), which published a final report (Aug. 2024) analyzing quantitative and qualitative participant data. Key findings: full-time employment rose from 6% to 21% (statistically significant), income volatility declined by nearly 20 percentage points, financial well-being improved, and housing cost burden and reported homelessness decreased over the course of the program.
Application Process
- How to apply
No public/open application process was identified. Enrollment was by referral only, through nine community-based partner organizations (ALAS, Collegiate Academies, Healthy Start, New Orleans Public Schools, Youth Empowerment Project, New Orleans Youth Alliance, Louisiana Center for Children's Rights, and Educators for Quality Alternatives) serving opportunity youth in Orleans Parish.
- Selection process
Youth ages 16-24 who were disconnected from work and school were referred to the program by the nine partner organizations; 125 referred youth were enrolled to receive payments.
