Years after basic income, participants share how their finances have changed
Participants in guaranteed basic income pilots report improved short-term stability, such as paying for rent and childcare, but struggle to build long-term savings. While the programs provide immediate relief, maintaining funding and political support remains a significant challenge.
Why it matters
It provides empirical insight into the efficacy of basic income models as a tool for poverty alleviation in urban environments.
Cepia Harper (left) and Crystal Crawford (right) are former guaranteed basic income participants. Kendrick Brinson for BI / Courtesy of Crystal Crawford Hundreds of US cities tried cash payments for low-income households. Business Insider reinterviewed participants years apart to see if their lives and finances changed. They landed new jobs and bigger apartments, but still struggled to build long-term savings. Cepia Harper arrived for her shift selling sneakers at an Atlanta Nike store around dinner time. The 43-year-old spent the day teaching middle school English classes, grading papers, and checking in on her own three children. By the time she got to the store, she was ready to curl up on the couch, but she needed the part-time Nike gig to make ends meet for the month. It's a contrast from where she was just two years ago.
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