Highlights: HPRI Symposium: Guaranteed Income

Highlights from the HPRI Symposium on Guaranteed Income programs. Watch the full video here: • HPRI Symposium: Guaran...
While guaranteed income and cash transfer programs have existed in other portions of the world, such as Latin America, since the 1980s (Fotta and Schmidt, 2023), the discussion of Universal Basic Income in the 2020 presidential debates and the widespread financial need triggered by the pandemic brought these concepts popular attention in America (guaranteedincome.us). These approaches show great promise in poverty alleviation by providing recipients autonomy over their spending, as well as other associated benefits like increased food security, improved health care, and spillover benefits like improved local economic activity (Stedman, 2023). Such benefits could be particularly reparative for communities of color in Los Angeles, who are more likely to live below the federal poverty line than white counterparts (Ending Poverty Summit, 2024), and for the Black and Latinx population which continue to be overrepresented in experiences of homelessness (LAHSA, 2023). Given the potential positive impacts for Black, Latinx, and indigenous populations, many see guaranteed income as a potential vehicle for reparations (The California Reparations Report, 2023).
How can these programs impact people experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness? What sums of unconditional money could prevent vulnerable populations from falling into homelessness? What other benefits are guaranteed income pilots uncovering in their evaluations? Would it be more helpful in fighting homelessness to use a universal approach like UBI rather than targeted guaranteed income? What are the most effective ways to utilize cash transfers to stabilize housing? Join us to explore these questions and more as we learn about a cash transfer pilot program that targets people experiencing homelessness from Denver known as the Denver Basic Income Project and LA City’s effort to facilitate and evaluate a basic income program for families living in poverty known as the Big Leap!
Panelists:
Bo-Kyung Elizabeth Kim - Associate Professor, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Department of Community Health Sciences
Aaron Strauss - Senior Program Manager, Office of Community Wealth, City of Los Angeles Community Investment for Families Department(CIFD)
Daniel Brisson - Professor, Director, Center for Housing and Homelessness Research (CHHR), Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver
Mark Donovan - Founder and Executive Director, Denver Basic Income Project
Maria Sierra - Community Engagement Manager, Denver Basic Income Project
Moriah Rodriguez - Participant, Denver Basic Income Project
Guest Moderator:
Soomi Lee - Professor and Director, Master of Public Administration program, University of La Verne