Video version of Scot Santens’ article on Altman pilot
Scott Santens has recorded a video version of his article.
To view it on YouTube, click here.
Final Report on Los Angeles Guaranteed Income Pilot
“In October 2021, former Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the Basic Income Guaranteed: Los Angeles Economic Assistance Pilot (BIG:LEAP) program. Benefitting just over 3,200 households, the program provided $1,000 per month in unconditional cash payments for 12 months to households living in deep poverty within the city of Los Angeles. To qualify, Angelenos were required to be at least 18 years old, have at least one dependent child within the household or be expecting a child, be negatively impacted by COVID-19, and fall below the federal poverty threshold. The program was implemented by the city’s Community Investment for Families Department (CIFD), and supported by the general fund as well as investments from local council district leaders. Administrative costs were supported by he Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles and Mayors for a Guaranteed Income.”
To read the full report, click here.
Seattle Pilot doubles employment rates
Note: Like many pilot programs, this one does not meet the BIEN definition of basic income because it is not universal for residents in its geographic region.
“A Seattle-area guaranteed basic income pilot gave low-income residents $500 a month to help reduce poverty. Employment in the group nearly doubled, and numerous unhoused residents secured housing.
The Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County launched a 10-month guaranteed basic income pilot program with 102 participants in fall 2022. New findings by research firm Applied Inference reveal that the $5,000 total payments improved participants’ quality of life, housing, and employment outcomes.”
To read the full Business Insider article, click here.
To read the full report by Applied Inference, LLC click here.
Flint, Michagan, Pilot for Mothers
Rx Kids launched their pilot this January 2024 where every person who gives birth in Flint, MI will receive a basic income during late stage pregnancy, $1,500 (lump-sum), and the first year of their baby’s life, $500 each month.
What’s so exciting about this pilot?!
- Rx Kids is a universal program for all new parents and their babies in Flint, MI. This is one of the few universal programs of its kind, where everyone of a specific demographic, in a specific geographical area, gets the money. This truly paves the way for scaling to state level, where we could imagine every new baby born in a state receiving basic income for the first years of their life.
- The funding for this program is also important – it includes public funding from TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). TANF is federal block grants allocated to states who then decide how to disburse the money. This use of TANF funds provides a model for other pilots to use these public dollars moving forward, an important new development as the American Rescue Plan dollars that funding many pilots during the pandemic runs out.
New Report on Cambridge MA Guaranteed Income Pilot
“In September 2021, Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and the Cambridge Community Foundation launched the Cambridge Recurring Income for Success & Empowerment (RISE) guaranteed income (GI) pilot. Designed to address growing economic disparities and racial inequities, Cambridge RISE provided $500 recurring monthly payments for 18 months to 130 randomly selected single-caretaker households living below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). To maximize the impact of the monthly GI, the RISE team secured benefit waivers to protect housing and DTA public benefits for pilot participants.1 Launched during an unprecedented time of pandemic-related stressors and inflation, Cambridge RISE provided critical relief to single caregivers who were responding to added burdens related to remote work and school and childcare center closures.
The Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) conducted a mixed-methods Randomized Controlled Trial to evaluate Cambridge RISE and randomly assigned 130 caregivers to the treatment arm and 156 caregivers to the control arm.”
To view the full report, click here.
