San Antonio experimented with a guaranteed basic income program that sent more than $5,000 to 1,000 families with no strings attached to the funds. Participants’ survey responses suggest the program was a success.
The program offered $5,108 over the course of 25 months with no stipulations about what the money could be used for. Participants had to fall 150% below the poverty line to be eligible.
“I felt supported for the first time ever,” Ingrid Sullivan, a participant with four children and three grandchildren, said. “I didn’t know what it felt like before this.”
Participants reported using the money for rent, groceries, paying credit card debt, and dropping second jobs. In December 2020, participants in San Antonio received an initial $1,908, followed by eight quarterly payments of $400.
UpTogether, a national nonprofit organization, sponsored the GBI
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