US youths leaving care given cash, and time, as COVID spurs action

Guaranteed basic income programs, which gained prevalence during the pandemic, have helped people make ends need and purchase necessities during times of need. The hope is to break down stigmas around welfare, dispel misconceptions, and ultimately produce data that compels national policy change.

A guaranteed income program in Nigerian is helping recipients build businesses, expand existing ones, and build equity.

The ADAMÂ Bakery trains and employs refugees in Uganda to make bread. This way they can earn a living while also feeding unaccompanied minors in the refugee settlements.

The economic impact payments and expanded child tax credits given to American households during the COVID-19 Pandemic helped reduce rates of child poverty and food insecurity.

A pilot program in Santa Clara County, California, is providing a guaranteed monthly income to young adults who age out of the foster care system. In addition to $1,000 the recipients will also have access to financial advice. This particular demographic was chosen for the pilot program based on statistics that show foster care youth are susceptible to homelessness and mental illness in part due to a lack of a support system.

Minnesota’s community resource centers are one-stop hubs where families and soon-to-be parents can get help with everything from applying for benefits to finding child care, housing or transportation. The state now has 16 centers in seven counties, though continued state funding for these facilities is uncertain.

Operated by The Neo Child Initiative, the ReachOut Project provides nutrional counseling and screening to parents and their children in underserved communities, free of charge. Since 2015, the ReachOut Project has supported 20,000 people across 10 communities in the state.

One thousand people received $1,000 monthly payments with no strings attached for three years as part of a guaranteed income study led by the nonprofit lab OpenResearch. The participants were young, low-income Americans across Illinois and Texas, and the flexibility of the cash payments allowed them to spend more on their basic needs, have more time with their children, and improve their employment situations.

A rural village has instituted several WhatsApp groups to communicate and help find children when they go missing. Each ward has a WhatsApp group and a system in place to care for children until they are reunited with their families, all for free. From January 2024 to May, over 20 missing children have been found and reunited with their families.

A guaranteed income program in Cambridge, Massachusetts, provided 130 single caregivers who made below 80% of the local median income with $500 cash payments, no strings attached. The 18-month program, Cambridge Recurring Income for Success, helped participants increase their savings, cover emergencies, and spend more time with their children.