I applied for LA’s basic income program – and the process was startling

Deeply personal questions about issues such as domestic violence highlight America's controlling' of people in poverty

Sitting in a Ralphs parking lot overlooking the Pacific Coast Highway at 8am on a Friday, hot and sticky in an ageing wetsuit, I clicked on the link for Big:Leap, Los Angeles' guaranteed income pilot and the largest program of its kind in the US.

Applications for the program had opened that morning. Participants would be chosen by lottery and the criteria for eligibility were simple: applicants had to be over the age of 18, live in the city of Los Angeles, have one or more dependents, and be living in poverty according to the federal poverty guidelines - a somewhat outdated and controversial method of measuring poverty, but one which, in the absence of anything else, is still used widely. The project's aim was straightforward, too: to study the effects of giving approximately 3,000 families $1,000 a month in cash with no strings attached.

Blame me for causing their violent behavior.

Shook, pushed, grabbed or threw me.

Tried to convince my family, children or friends that I am crazy or tried to turn them against me.

Used or threatened to use a knife or gun or other weapon to harm me.

Made me perform sex acts that I did not want to perform.