Universal Basic Income Programs

Universal basic income (UBI) programs aim to alleviate poverty by providing participants with a set amount of money on a regular basis without conditions. Though it has yet to be adopted at any scale in the U.S., many places have enacted or proposed pilot UBI programs, including Cleveland, Mount Vernon, New York, Washington, D.C., and Austin, Texas.

Other cities have modified versions of UBI that provide financial support when someone is at risk of eviction, or that focus on universal basic mobility. Consistently, these pilots have shown elevated standards of living for those who receive payments and demonstrated that when given cash, people use it to pay for necessities. Planners should consider how UBI could affect those in their communities, including housing attainment and health outcomes.