![]() ![]() The universal income concept has been bubbling up in national politics, with Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang promising $1,000 a month to every American regardless of income level, and Kamala Harris, a U.S. “It’s a city that’s reinventing itself, that’s pulling out of that bankruptcy, and leaning into its pluralistic community to build what’s next.” “It really looks like America,” she said. ![]() The foundation selected Stockton, a city once labeled America’s foreclosure capital, as a guinea pig because of its diverse racial and economic profile, said project co-founder Natalie Foster. Most of the project’s $3 million budget comes from a private foundation called the Economic Security Project, launched three years ago with help from Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes. “But this is one of a couple of examples where people are looking at Stockton for solutions “ “For so long, people have looked at Stockton for examples of what things are bad,” he said. Tubbs said the data proves that Stockton residents are using the money to better themselves and their families. The group did not track the 40% of funds that were transferred to savings, checking, or cash. Roughly 40% of purchases on the prepaid debit cards went to food, 24% went to home goods and clothing, and 11% paid for utilities, according to the report. Project researchers just released the first cache of data showing how recipients spent their money in the first five months of the program, which began in February. That control group is receiving gift cards in exchange for sharing information about their lives and financial well-being. ![]() Another 200 people were randomly chosen to participate in the research without receiving a monthly stipend. Program organizers randomly selected the participants from the 478 residents who completed a survey. Last fall the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration, a collaboration tasked with running the pilot, sent 4,200 mailers to randomly selected households in neighborhoods where the city’s median income is at or below $46,033. The Stockton program isn’t quite universal - only 125 people were selected to receive the $500 monthly allowance for 18 months. Proponents say it’s a step toward economic equality, but critics worry a handout will enable bad behavior. cities experimenting with universal basic income, the idea of giving all Americans a fixed, no-strings-attached stipend. ![]()
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