The response to the widely-documented cost of living crisis has meant that many US states have been running various programs to help people with their finances.
They include stimulus checks for certain people in society as well as tax rebates and student loan debt write-offs.
What are UBI Payments?
A much talked about concept now is the Universal Basic Income (UBI) which is not actually a new concept at all. The idea is to provide long-term cash payments that create a safety net for everyone. Payments have no conditions attached and can be as often as once a month.
State governments are also slowly rising to the calls for guaranteed income. In 2021, California announced a statewide guaranteed income project, signed off on by Governor Gavin Newsom, with a budget of 35 million dollar for the next five years.
What states have guaranteed income programs?
In Birmingham, Alabama, there is a scheme to help single women caring for at least one child under the age of 18. The first group of 110 people are currently receiving 375 dollars per month for a year.
Phoenix, Arizona, approved a 12 million dollar cash assistance program to help low-income families.
There are schemes coming into place in various cities in California such as Los Angeles, Compton, Long Beach, Marin County, Mountain View, Oakland, Santa Clara, San Diego, San Francisco, Sonoma County and Stockton.
Denver, Colorado has launched a basic income project with a 5.5 million dollar initial budget. Similar schemes can also be found in Gainesville, Florida and Atlanta in Georgia.
Illinois has got schemes in place in Chicago, Cook County and Evanston. The Guaranteed Income Validation Effort has also been launched in Gary, Indiana.
New Orleans and Shreveport in Louisiana are on the list along with Baltimore in Maryland and Chelsea in Massachusetts.
Minneapolis in Minnesota along with Jackson, Mississippi have got provisions in place to help struggling families, along with New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.
