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- Guaranteed basic income programs can help low-income participants afford necessities like rent.
- Over 100 US cities and counties have tried GBI, offering cash for housing and groceries.
- Despite legislative opposition, basic income programs remain active across the country.
Ingrid Sullivan, 48, used her cash from the San Antonio guaranteed basic income program to rent a home where her grandchildren can play in the yard. And Atlanta resident Shamarra Woods, 31, used her basic income to pay bills and afford day care for her toddler.
For 46-year-old Jennette Fisher, $500 a month allowed her to sign an apartment lease in a quiet Chicago suburb with her daughter.
“It took such a weight off,” Fisher previously told Business Insider. “If I wouldn’t have had that money, I don’t know what would have happened.”
Guaranteed basic income has become an increasingly popular poverty-solution strategy in US cities. Over 100 municipalities have tried the GBI model since 2019, offering low-income participants between $50 and $2,000 a month, no strings attached, for a set time period.
What makes basic income different from traditional social services is the element of choice. Participants told BI they spent the money where they needed it most: on housing, groceries, transportation, and debt repayment.
Typically, participants fall below the federal poverty line. However, some programs have also focused on specific populations such as new and expecting mothers, households with children, or people experiencing homelessness.
Basic income pilots have been completed in cities and counties in Alabama, Virginia, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Mississippi, Louisiana, Indiana, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, Oklahoma, and more.
GBI continues to face legislative opposition from Republican lawmakers who have called the programs “socialist” and say they discourage low-income people from entering the workforce.
For example, Iowa passed a ban on GBI in April, and the Arizona House of Representatives voted to ban basic income in February. On April 23, the Texas Supreme Court placed a temporary block on a Houston-area program that the attorney general called “unconstitutional.”
Despite these political challenges, basic-income programs continue to be active across the country. Here’s a breakdown of states, listed in alphabetical order, where cash payments being offered to low-income residents.
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