#universal basic income

[tygerbug]

ubi, universal basic income

[reasonsforhope]

In a new trial, this city will give homeless young adults $1,200 in cash every month for two years

A new guaranteed income pilot program in Boston aims to set an example for future policies.

"According to the Stanford Basic Income Lab, universal basic income is a periodic cash payment that is given to individuals unconditionally, requiring no work requirement or sanctions to access.

And as various nonprofits and cities across the country experiment with basic income programs, most have found that the money received is largely used to pay for the basic essentials many Americans struggle to afford.

A new pilot program in Boston, Massachusetts wants to find out if the same trend applies for a specific demographic: young adults facing homelessness.

The program is called BAY-CASH, or Boston Area Youth Cash Assistance for Stable Housing. Their plan is to offer a select group of 15 young adults ages 18 to 24 $1,200 per month for 24 months.

Each month, they will receive two $600 payments, and they will each have access to a one-time drawdown amount of $3,000, used to pay for things like a security deposit, a car repair, a medical expense, or other crisis.

“BAY-CASH is what we call a demonstration program,” the program’s director Matt Aronson told GBH, the local NPR affiliate. 

Aronson has been working on developing a model for direct cash transfers to address young adult homelessness since 2017, when he also co-led the development of the City of Boston’s plan to prevent and end homelessness among young adults. Finally, his vision has reached a crucial next step.

“We’re trying to demonstrate to the state of Massachusetts that this kind of programming, a guaranteed-income program with supportive services, should be part of our toolkit that we use to prevent and end homelessness for young adults,” he continued to GBH. 

Program participants will also receive two and a half years of supportive services, like a navigator who helps young people identify and access the resources they need, as well as financial coaching.

Aronson added that there is no penalty if a participant doesn’t use them, but they were built into the program based on the services young people asked for.

One of those young people is Deandre (who chose to omit his last name for privacy). Having grown up in Boston, he was out on his own, but after coming on hard times, he found himself involved in a few youth homelessness programs. That’s where he found out about BAY-CASH.

“I heard about … potentially getting cash payments to help with all the necessary things I have to go through on a regular basis,” he told GBH. “I was absolutely ecstatic.” 

He told GBH that he plans to use the money to access food, clean clothes, and rent and housing expenses when he eventually has a place of his own again. He also hopes to one day save up to buy a car so he doesn’t have to rely on the city’s bus system.

The flexibility for him to choose how to spend the money is a key component to what Aronson believes is the magic of guaranteed income. 

“Current homelessness resources for young adults in Massachusetts are scarce, can be slow to deploy and inflexible, and often lead to inequitable outcomes for historically and systemically oppressed populations,” BAY-CASH shares on its website.

“[We are] trusting that young people know their needs and communities better than anyone else.”

Aronson added that the pilot program will provide the state with more evidence to consider something “a little bit more flexible than what they’ve developed,” and ensure that a budget would be available to enact something similar in other regions of the state.

Right now, the pilot program is being funded by private donors and foundations, along with the city of Cambridge via a one-time cash infusion, and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. 

The hope, Aronson said, is that this program proves its efficacy for the long haul.

“There’s some skepticism around and moralizing why folks are poor, why folks who are experiencing homelessness that causes us to suspect, ‘Oh, they must be wasting their money,’” Aronson said. “Over and over, the evidence is consistent that folks use these to meet their basic needs.”

For Deandre, who has dreams of someday becoming an architect, the program represents something greater.

“Just because we’re experiencing homelessness doesn’t mean it has to be a barrier for us to stop living our lives and that we can’t escape it,” he told GBH.

“With more programs such as BAY-CASH and with more people spreading awareness about the issues that are going on in our community … it’s all about making sure that the next person doesn’t have to experience what you’ve had to experience. It’s about doing what you can to eradicate homelessness, and I think that should be everyone’s ultimate goal.”"

-via GoodGoodGood, August 11, 2025

[liberalsarecool]

UBI works. 88% success rate.

[theconcealedweapon]

"But I don't want my hard work to pay for their handouts."

Dude. Your hard work already pays for shareholder profits, and you act like that's the best system possible. If you see people receiving something paid for by your hard work, just tell yourself that they're shareholders.

[animentality]

[mindblowingscience]

How 'free money' helped low-income workers stay employed

Classic economic theory assumes low-income people would stop working if governments gave them money as a strategy to reduce poverty.

Classic economic theory assumes low-income people would stop working if governments gave them money as a strategy to reduce poverty. New research co-authored by a Cornell expert in industrial relations challenges that assumption, finding that a modest tax benefit in Canada—similar to the U.S. Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)—encouraged low-income workers to stay employed.

Continue Reading.

[maycrofy]

As a society we have a hard time imagining what the world looks like when on UBI with shelter and utilities.

So, back in 2012, when I was part of a work exchange in Turkey, I had about 3 months of break when the place I used to work at ended activities for the summer.

The salary I was provided by the program was just about enough to purchase food, cleaning supplies, transportation and all the other basics. It also helped that me and the other 2 roommates on the same program pooled the salary to have more money for ourselves in the end.

So for 3 months of my life I didn't have to show up to work but I also was paid money to cover living expenses and a little bit left for splurging.

What little was left after budgeting for the necessary I had to stretch across the month until the next payment. That meant going to the movies maybe once a month, one beer at the bar that had to last for the entire night, and eating treats maybe just a couple of times a week.

If I had been legally allowed to, I would've found a part time job to make more money. But my contract said that being employed at another place would be motive for firing.

Living in these conditions is weird because it's not like I was gonna starve or end up in the street but at the same time I felt limited because I couldn't do as many things as I wanted to, least I ended up broke.

Most of those 3 months consisted on cooking meals with care, reading a lot, drawing a lot, watching series on pirated websites, And taking walks maybe 2 times a day... and I mean 3-4 hour walks. Hanging out with friends had to be rationed because most of the times it meant spending money in transportation, meals, or drinks.

And one time I did go broke one week before the next paycheck. I had to let my roommates bank my transportation during that week and aside from that, the only entertainment I could have had to be at home because I literally didn't have money for anything else.

So while I wasn't worried about sustenance or shelter I still was worried about other things; not running out of money was still one of them. I wanted things like books, figures, treats that I couldn't afford. I still thought about what to do with my life 10 years from then (I still had to finish uni), about dating, about my friends, about where the world was going.

Maybe I could've found a job off the books; waiting tables, drawing for commissions, or something. But I was 19 and I didn't know how easy would've been to wiggle out of that problem if my employers had caught me.

But the thing is, even with the basic needs met, it turned out that I still wanted to do labor to fill more time in the day and to be able to fulfill those little comforts that I couldn't: buying more snacks for the rest of the month, more hangouts with friends, travel to other parts of the country, buying books, art supplies, toys, etc.

[ralfmaximus]

Seattle gave low-income residents $500 a month no strings attached. Employment rates nearly doubled.

A guaranteed basic income program pilot in Seattle gave 102 low-income residents $500 monthly. Employment among the participants nearly doub

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.

Oh gosh look: another successful UBI pilot program.

Not only was employment doubled in the test group, their savings increased, and health & life insurance coverage tripled. Many participants got health insurance for the first time.

It's time to roll this out nationwide and with more money. The return on investment is undeniable and would be huge if it applied to everyone.