Evan Semones
- A guaranteed basic income program in Austin gave people $1,000 a month for a year.
- Most of the participants spent the no-string-attached cash on housing, a study of the program found.
- Participants who said they could afford a balanced meal also increased by 17%.
A guaranteed basic income plan in one of Texas’s largest cities reduced rates of housing insecurity. But some Texas lawmakers are not happy.
Austin was the first city in Texas to launch a tax-payer-funded basic income program when the Austin Guaranteed Income Pilot kicked off in May 2022. The program served 135 low-income families, each receiving up to $1,000 monthly. Funding for 85 families came from the City of Austin while philanthropic donations funded the other 50.
The program was billed as a means to boost people out of poverty and help them afford housing. “We know that if we trust people to make the right decisions for themselves and their families, it leads to better outcomes,” the city says on its website. “It leads to better jobs, increased savings, food security, housing security.”