Yolo Basic Income (YOBI)
Yolo Basic Income (YOBI) was a two-year guaranteed income pilot run by Yolo County's Health and Human Services Agency for families with a child under six (or pregnant) who were already enrolled in CalWORKs or the CalWORKs Housing Support Program and experiencing homelessness. From April 2022 through March 2024, roughly 54-55 preselected households (76 adults) received an unconditional monthly stipend, averaging about $1,289, calibrated to bring the household to $1 above the California Poverty Measure. Payments came with no added work requirements or means test and were paired with existing CalWORKs case management. The pilot was funded through a public/private mix including Sutter Health, Sierra Health Foundation, the state Office of Child Abuse Prevention, First 5 Yolo, Kelly, Stuart, and Travis Foundations, and Yolo County cannabis tax revenue. UC Davis's Center for Regional Change designed and evaluated the program.
CalWORKs, Homeless Families, Young Children, Cannabis Tax Funding, Guaranteed Income Pilot, California
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA)
- City
- Woodland
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Website
- https://www.yolocounty.gov/
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 76
- Funding type
- Government, Nonprofit, Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 30,936 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 1,289 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 24 months
- Benefit details
Payments were variable rather than a flat amount: each family's monthly stipend was calculated to bring total household income to $1 above the California Poverty Measure, averaging about $1,289/month across the cohort. Stipends were paid on top of existing CalWORKs and CalWORKs Housing Support Program (HSP) benefits with no added work requirement or means test for the full two years, and were paired with ongoing CalWORKs case management. Household size among recipients ranged from 2 to 8 people (average of 3), with every household including at least one child under age 6.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligibility was limited to a preselected group of Yolo County residents already enrolled in CalWORKs or the CalWORKs Housing Support Program (HSP) who had a child under age 6 or were pregnant, and who were experiencing homelessness. The program was not open to public applications; families were identified directly from existing CalWORKs/HSP caseloads. Most participating households were single-parent families led by women.
Family
- Family Status
- Parent, Single Parent, Expecting
- Number of dependents (minimum)
- 1
- Household size (minimum)
- 2
- Household size (maximum)
- 8
Housing
- Housing status
- Homeless
Financial
- Currently receiving government benefits
- Required
Geography
- US states covered
- California
- Countries covered
- United States
- Counties covered
- Yolo
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Complementary program enrollment required
- CalWORKs, CalWORKs Housing Support Program (HSP)
- Research / participation requirements
The UC Davis Center for Regional Change led an interdisciplinary research team (with the Department of Human Ecology) that partnered with Yolo County HHSA to design and evaluate YOBI, supported by Yolo County Children's Alliance for benefits counseling and peer survey support. Researchers tracked participants over the two-year pilot via surveys, interviews, and focus groups covering finances, housing, education, health, mental health, substance use, and child welfare system involvement. Key findings, published in a peer-reviewed study (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, March 2026) and earlier preliminary reports, found the stipend produced temporary relief from poverty, improved housing stability, reduced parental stress, and better child wellbeing, but was not sufficient to create lasting financial independence for families in multigenerational poverty; researchers recommended longer program duration and a tapering-off period for future pilots.
Application Process
- How to apply
YOBI was not open for public applications. Yolo County HHSA preselected eligible families directly from its existing CalWORKs and CalWORKs Housing Support Program (HSP) caseloads based on having a child under 6 (or being pregnant) and experiencing homelessness.
- Selection process
Yolo County identified and enrolled all qualifying families from the CalWORKs Housing Support Program caseload in 2022; there was no separate application or lottery, and selection leveraged existing county staffing and case files rather than an external intake process.
