Residents who have experienced homelessness will receive monthly cash payments to help them find and stay in stable, long-term housing.
Denver is the latest U.S. city to launch a basic income pilot program as part of the city’s efforts to eliminate homelessness through a ‘Housing First’ strategy, reports Kalena Thomhave in Smart Cities Dive.
The program is specifically aimed at people experiencing homelessness and will give cash assistance to 820 people for one year. “While programs range in size and scope, the Denver project provides each participating household with a maximum of $12,000 over the course of a year, divided into monthly cash payments, making it one of the more generous initiatives.”
Other basic income programs have shown positive results, such as Stockton, the first U.S. city to implement such a program in 2019. “In 2021, an evaluation revealed that basic income recipients reported increased health, more stable income, and more full-time employment compared with the control group.”
Read the full story: To curb homelessness, Denver commits $2M for basic income pilot
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