New York City is one of many areas across the country offering guaranteed basic income to low-income residents.
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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 $100 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 BIthey 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.
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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 are offered to low-income residents.
California
Los Angeles.
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Location: Los Angeles Program name:Breathe Duration: June 2022 – August 2025 Income amount: $1,000 every month for three years Number of participants: 1,000 low-income households
Location: Long Beach Program name:Long Beach Pledge Duration: spring 2024 – spring 2025 Income amount: $500 a month for 12 months Number of participants: 200 low-income households with children
Location: Mountain View Program name:Elevate MV Duration: December 2022 – December 2024 Income amount: $500 a month for 24 months Number of participants: 166 low-income parents
Location: Sonoma County Program name:Pathway to Income Equity Duration: January 2023 – January 2025 Income amount: $500 a month for 24 months Number of participants: 305 low-income families
Location: Pomona Program name:Pomona Household Universal Grants Pilot Duration: Summer 2024 – Spring 2026 Income amount: $500 a month for 18 months Number of participants: 250 low-income families with children under 4 years old
Location: Humboldt County Program name:Humboldt Income Program Duration: On a rolling basis, beginning December 2023 Income amount: $920 a month for 18 months Number of participants: 150 low-income pregnant people
Previous basic income pilots have been run in Stockton, San Francisco, Marin County, Sacramento, Compton, Oakland, Santa Clara, San Diego, and more. In 2021, the state pledged $35 million for more GBI pilots over five years, and a billbeing heard in theCalifornia Senate could provide GBI starting in August 2025 for students experiencing homelessness.
Colorado
Denver.
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Location: Denver Program name:The Denver Basic Income Project Duration: November 2022 – summer 2024 Income amount: Participants were divided into three groups: One receives $1,000 a month for a year; another receives $6,500 up front and then $500 a month from there; and another gets $50 a month. Number of participants: 800 unhoused individuals
Location: Boulder Program name:Elevate Boulder Duration: January 2024 – January 2026 Income amount: $500 a month for two years Number of participants: 200 low-income households
Georgia
Atlanta.
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Location: Atlanta, southwest Georgia, and the City of College Park Program name:In Her Hands Duration: First pilot was 2022 – 2024, second pilot began spring 2024 Income amount: Average payments of $850 a month over 24 months for the first round Number of participants: 650 low-income Black women
Illinois
Chicago.
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Location: Cook County Program name:The Cook County Promise Duration: December 2022 – December 2024 Income amount: $500 a month for 24 months Number of participants: 3,250 low- to moderate-income families
Location: Evanston Program name:Guaranteed Income Program Duration: First round ran December 2022 – December 2023, second round begins summer 2024 Income amount: $500 a month for one year Number of participants: 150 low-income families
Location: Polk, Dallas, and Warren counties Program name:UpLift – The Central Iowa Basic Income Pilot Duration: May 2023 – spring 2026 Income amount: $500 a month Number of participants: 110 low-income households
Massachusetts
Somerville, Massachusetts.
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Location: Somerville Program name:The Somerville Guaranteed Basic Income Program Duration: July 2024 – July 2025 Income amount: $750 a month for 12 months Number of participants: 200 low-income families
Basic income programs were previously run in Boston, Chelsea, and Cambridge.
Maryland
Baltimore.
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Location: Baltimore Program name:The Baltimore Young Families Success Fund Duration: August 2022 – July 2024 Income amount: $1,000 a month for 24 months Number of participants: 200 young parents
Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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Location: Ann Arbor Program name:Guaranteed Income to Grow Ann Arbor Duration: January 2024 – December 2025 Income amount: $528 a month for 24 months Number of participants: 100 low-income entrepreneurs
Location: Flint Program name:Rx Kids Duration: January 2024 – spring 2025 Income amount: $1,500 lump sum, then $500 monthly payments during the first year of a baby's life Number of participants: 1,200 new and expectant mothers
Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
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Location: Jackson Program name:Magnolia Mother's Trust Duration: 12 months per pilot Income amount: $1,000 a month Number of participants: Over 400 low-income Black mothers since fall 2018
Minnesota
Minneapolis.
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Location: Minneapolis Program name:Minneapolis Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Duration: June 2022 – June 2024 Income amount: $500 a month for two years Number of participants: 200 low-income households
A program in St. Paul began in 2020 and provided basic income to families for 18 months.
Missouri
St. Louis.
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Location: St. Louis Program name:STL Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Duration: Fall 2023 – spring 2025 Income amount: $500 a month for 18 months Number of participants: 540 low-income families with children
New Mexico
Santa Fe.
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Location: Santa Fe Program name:The City of Santa Fe Learn, Earn, Achieve Program Duration: Initially ran October 2021 – September 2022, extended through the 2023-2024 academic year. Income amount: $400 a month for 12 months Number of participants: 98 young, low-income parents enrolled in a certificate or degree program at the Santa Fe Community College
Location: New York City, Rochester, and Buffalo Program name:The Bridge Project Duration: June 2021 – ongoing Income amount: Up to $1,000 a month for three years Number of participants: 1,200 low-income mothers
Location: Hudson Program name:HudsonUP Duration: Five years, with staggered cohorts launched in fall 2020, 2021, and 2023 Income amount: $500 a month for 5 years Number of participants: 128 households
A 17-month program in Ulster County that provided basic income to 100 households ended in September 2022, and another program in Ithaca gave a full year of cash payments to unpaid caregivers through May 2023. The nonprofit Creative Rebuild New York also ran an 18-month GBI pilot for artists impacted by the pandemic, which ended in early 2024.
Oregon
Portland.
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Location: Portland Program name:Black Resilience Fund Duration: January 2023 – spring 2026 Income amount: Up to $2,000 a month for three years Number of participants: 25 Black households in Multnomah county
This November, Oregonians will also vote on a universal basic income proposal to give all state residents $750 a year through taxing corporations.
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia.
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Location: Philadelphia Program name:PHILHousing+ Duration: Fall 2022 – spring 2025 Income amount: $89 to $2,079 a month for 30 months, depending on household income Number of participants: 300 renter households from the Philadelphia Housing Authority's Housing Choice Voucher or public housing waitlist
Texas
San Antonio.
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Location: San Antonio Program name: UpTogether San Antonio Duration: Summer 2023 – December 2024 Income amount: $500 a month for 18 months Number of participants: 25 low-income families
Location: Harris County Program name:Uplift Harris Duration: Initially scheduled to begin in April 2024, but delayed because of the Texas Supreme Court ruling Income amount: $500 a month for 18 months Number of participants: 1,928 low-income households
An earlier San Antonio program offered $5,108 to 1,000 families over a 25-month period that began in December 2020. The Austin Guaranteed Income Pilot also gave participants $1,000 a month ending in May 2023.
Virgina
Richmond, VA
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Location: Richmond Program name:Richmond Resilience Initiative Duration: Several cohorts, beginning October 2020 – spring 2025 Income amount: $500 a month for 24 months Number of participants: 94 low-income families with children
Location: Alexandria Program name:Alexandria Recurring Income for Success and Equity Duration: Spring 2023 – spring 2025 Income amount: $500 a month for 24 months Number of participants: 170 low-income individuals
Washington DC
Washington DC.
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Location: Washington DC Program name:CashRx Duration: November 2023 – fall 2024 Income amount: Participant's choice, an average of $1,400 a month Number of participants: 10 low-income individuals participating in the nonprofit Bread for the City's healthcare program.
A previous pilot in DC — THRIVE East of the River — provided basic income to 500 low-income households between 2020 and 2021.
Is there an active basic income program that isn't on this list? Have you benefited from a basic income program? Reach out to this reporter at allisonkelly@businessinsider.com.
Correction: April 29, 2024 — An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the end date of the Guaranteed Income to Grow Ann Arbor program.
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