Why a county’s basic income program provided reprieve from poverty but not financial independence

A basic income program in Yolo County—one of the first such programs nationwide—lifted unhoused families above the California poverty line for two years. Families could, for a while, spend less time worrying about money and more time being a family, according to new research by the University of California, Davis. The program provided a monthly stipend to 76 mostly single-parent families between 2022 and 2024, helping them gain housing, food and general well-being for two years. The study, which analyzed the program and families’ experiences in it, is published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

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