Here are 11 states with guaranteed basic-income programs that give residents hundreds of dollars a month, no strings attached
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- Guaranteed basic-income programs can help low-income participants afford necessities like rent.
- BI found over 50 municipalities that 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 Monique Gonzalez, 41, moved herself and her family out of a San Antonio motel.
Denver resident Jarun Laws, 51, used his basic income to pay his rent and buy food.
"My life was always just a couple hundred dollars short," Sullivan told Business Insider. "For the first time, I can breathe."
Guaranteed basic income has become an increasingly popular poverty-solution strategy in US cities. Over 50 municipalities have tried the GBI model since 2019, offering low-income participants between $100 and $1,000 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 BI they 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 Arizona, Alabama, Virginia, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Mississippi, Louisiana, Indiana, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, and Washington DC.
GBI continues to face legislative opposition from Republican lawmakers who have called the programs "socialist," and worry 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. And on April 23, The Texas Supreme Court placed a temporary block on a Houston-area program the attorney general has 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 currently being offered to low-income residents.
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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
Previous basic income pilots have been run in San Francisco, Compton, Oakland, Santa Clara, San Diego, Stockton, and Marin County.
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Location: Denver
Program name: The Denver Basic Income Project
Duration: November 2022 - July 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 and low-income households
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Location: Atlanta, Southwest Georgia, and the City of College Park
Program name: The Georgia Resilience and Opportunity Fund
Duration: Fall 2022 - fall 2024
Income amount: Average payments of $850 a month over 24 months
Number of participants: 650 low-income Black women
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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
Chicago previously ran the Chicago Resilient Communities Pilot, providing basic income for 5,000 residents.
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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.
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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
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Location: Ann Arbor
Program name: Guaranteed Income to Grow Ann Arbor
Duration: January 2024 - January 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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
Have you benefited from a guaranteed basic-income program? Are you open to sharing how you spent the money? Reach out to this reporter at allisonkelly@insider.com.