SUCCESS STORIES

Denver Basic Income Project gave homeless people cash and saved taxpayers almost $600,000 in the process, report says
First-year study shows more stable housing, decreased use of emergency services among recipients

Report: Richmond’s guaranteed income pilot program showing signs of success
The program is now in its third cohort, according to a recent press release, and the city has set aside $500,000 of its 2025 budget to continue the program.

Why basic income makes you more likely to get a job: lessons from Tacoma and beyond
Interest in guaranteed basic income programs is gaining traction in some Washington cities. Tacoma started its second basic-income pilot in 2024, after a separate King County program. KUOW’s “Booming” looks into the lessons learned from such experiments.

Arts Sector gathers to discuss Status of the Artist in Ireland & results from first year of the Basic Income for the Arts pilot
Arts Sector gathers to discuss Status of the Artist in Ireland & results from first year of the Basic Income for the Arts pilot

New Mexico experimented with a basic income program that gave $500 a month to mixed-status immigrant families. They used the money to secure jobs.
A New Mexico guaranteed basic income program offered immigrant and undocumented households across the state $500 a month for a year.

Over 100 basic-income pilots have run in US cities. Now states are getting creative to fund no-strings-attached cash payments
Aimed at combating poverty, GBI faces political challenges and funding constraints.

Indy nonprofits gave families $500 a month. Here’s how it went.
The eastside Indianapolis groups chose 15 families to test a universal basic income program for a year and a half.

A year after a single mom stopped getting $500 a month through Chicago’s basic income program, she’s still holding down an apartment and making ends meet: ‘It was every single thing that I prayed for.’
Jennette Fisher and her 11-year-old daughter Sophia moved into a new apartment in January. Fisher is still setting up the furniture, but her Chicago suburb is starting to feel like home.

After first year of guaranteed basic income program in Iowa, what has it done for participants?
Wright said the extra cash gave her room to save money and time to find a place more suitable for her family.

11 states with guaranteed basic-income programs that give residents hundreds of dollars a month, no strings attached
New York City is one of many areas across the country offering guaranteed basic income to low-income residents.

Some people are being given thousands of dollars with no strings attached in universal basic income trials. They mostly spend the cash wisely.
Interest in universal basic income has grown due to the pandemic, Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and economic pain.

Seattle basic income pilot shows increased employment and larger paychecks
Riko Niyomwungere is a North Seattle College student who participated in a recent guaranteed basic income pilot.

A San Antonio grandmother used guaranteed basic income to afford groceries and rent a house: ‘It’s changed my station in life’
Ingrid Sullivan, 48, was able to afford rent and groceries with San Antonio’s basic-income program.

Places across the U.S. are testing no-strings cash as part of the social safety net
Christopher Santiago recalls being skeptical the first time he heard about basic income — giving people cash with no conditions on how to spend it.

El Monte guaranteed basic income pilot program shows signs of success
The programs tracked participants spending on debit cards and found most spent it on basic needs like food, rent and gas.

San Antonio experimented with giving people $5,108 no-strings-attached. They spent it on housing and school supplies for their kids.
San Antonio gave low-income residents $5,108 each in a guaranteed basic income pilot. They used the money to pay for housing and other necessities.

Paterson, New Jersey gave residents $400 a month, ‘no strings attached.’ Here’s what happened.
What would you do if you suddenly had an extra $400 every month?Dante used it to set up a bank account and get a credit card. His credit score is now a solid 712.

Pilot Results from Arlington: Employment and Incomes from Work Both Increased
Results from Arlington’s first guaranteed income pilot reveal that an additional $500 per month significantly enhanced the quality of life for impoverished families.

They’re getting $1,000 a month for 3 years. How guaranteed income is changing lives in L.A. County
L.A. County’s Breathe program gives participants $1,000 monthly for three years, more money over a longer period than similar programs.

Minneapolis is giving people $500 a month and recipients say it is helping them fight soaring housing costs
Two hundred low-income households in Minneapolis are receiving $500 a month for two years.

D.C. sent $10,800 to dozens of new moms. Here’s how it changed their lives.
In 2022, the D.C. government announced a pilot program that offered 132 new and expecting low-income mothers $10,800 over the course of a year — no strings attached — intended to assess how unconditional cash payments could improve their families’ outcomes and economic mobility.

Alaska Is a Case Study for Universal Basic Income
For Alaskans, the concept behind universal basic income has been alive and well for the last 40 years.

Austin Gave Poor Families a Basic Income. It Changed Their Lives.
For one year, low-income families in Austin, Texas, received $1,000 a month to do whatever they wanted; they spent it on rent and “substantially” improved their situations.

One year of basic income in Minneapolis
A wave of experimentation in the way that U.S. cities, counties, and states support households with low incomes is sweeping the country, and Minneapolis is at the leading edge.

These L.A. residents got $1,000 a month. What happened after the cash stopped?
These L.A. residents got $1,000 a month. What happened after the cash stopped?

‘I can concentrate full-time on my art’: 14 months of Ireland’s Basic Income for Artists
The innovative Basic Income for the Arts scheme offers artists a payment of €325 per week. Broadly welcomed in the sector when introduced in 2022, we look at how the pilot project has been doing

Results of Saint Paul Guaranteed Income Pilot Show Increased Employment, Improved Outlook
Data is in for the nation’s first mayor-led guaranteed income pilot to use public dollars, and results show positive trends in employment, physical and mental health, and other indicators of well-being and quality of life.

Chicago and Cook County try bold experiments to combat economic inequity
There’s a pilot program called (Cook County) Promise that’s been giving thousands of low-to- moderate-income families $500 in cash every month to help them meet basic needs

$750 a month, no questions asked, improved the lives of homeless people in Los Angeles
If 100 homeless people were given $750 per month for a year, no questions asked, what would they spend it on?

Recipients of Basic Income for the Arts Report a 10% Decrease in Depression and Anxiety
Among the findings are that depression and anxiety experienced in the previous 4 weeks to the scheme decreased by almost 10%.

Direct cash payments are changing lives in Cook County
Researchers at the University of Chicago have been studying guaranteed income programs in the region, but there are some results data alone can’t reveal. So, one Chicago-based sociologist spoke with people receiving monthly cash assistance to find out more about the difference it makes in their lives.

‘It’s Basic’: Campaign for a guaranteed income ramps up in Maine
Guaranteed income pilot programs are springing up across the country, including here in Maine, and a campaign to create the building blocks for a statewide program in Maine is ramping up.