San Antonio has recently become one of the latest cities to give low-income households basic income support.
The scheme is to help families afford the essentials they previously couldn’t, and while many have praised the plan, it has received some backlash.
The Basic Income Support Scheme Is No Strings Attached
The basic income support scheme was created to help low-income families afford the essentials so they can have more of a peace of mind when it comes to money.
People have spent the money on a variety of things, including getting housing, transport, groceries, and paying off debt. Some have even been able to leave their second jobs.
Basic Income Support Allows Parents to Buy Essential Items for Their Children
The basic income support scheme allows parents to buy items for their children, some of which are essential.
Business Insider reported on one woman, Monique Gonzalez, who is a mother of six. The scheme enabled her to buy school supplies, shoes, and Christmas presents for her children.
San Antonio Residents in Poverty Were Given $5108
1000 individuals took part in the San Antonio basic income support scheme and were given $5108 over 25 months.
The money was given to people who were 150% below the federal poverty line, with most people facing financial hardship, and in some cases job loss, all caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participants Were Given Gradual Payments
The people participating in the basic income support scheme were given the $5108 in stages.
They received their first payment in December 2020 of $1908 as a one-off, and they then received payments every quarter of $400 between April 2021 and January 2023.
The Basic Income Support Scheme Has Been Piloted in Many Cities
San Antonio isn’t the only city currently trialing the basic income support scheme, as Dever, Austin, Boston, Minneapolis, and Durham are also using the scheme.
Denver’s basic income support scheme was so successful, that they were able to get more funding for it and an extension on the length of the scheme, per Business Insider.
Participants Were Happier With Help From the Scheme
No longer having any major money worries and being able to give their children things they previously couldn’t, many participants were happy with the scheme.
UpTogether released a report on how the initial scheme had gone, 79% said that the payments had a positive impact on their lives and 40% said it improved their mental health.
Some Participants Did not Find the Scheme Very Successful
Despite many of the people involved in the study finding improvement in their lives, one participant didn’t experience the same thing.
An Austin woman who took part in the study said that while the scheme helped her advance her career and buy essentials, she still didn’t have a home or financial stability, which was something many participants were able to achieve.
Participants Offered Improvements Should the Scheme Be Run Again
As a part of the scheme, participants were allowed to give their feedback on the things they liked and didn’t like about the scheme.
One thing participants did say is they would prefer payments to be monthly instead of quarterly, something that has been done with other basic income support schemes in other cities.
Republicans Are Not Happy With Basic Income Programs
Despite many people seeing basic income support schemes as a good thing, Republican politicians don’t agree.
According to John Gillette, money isn’t a birthright, such schemes are too costly for the government, and it goes against the capitalist system of getting people to work for money.
South Dakota Wants to Ban Basic Income Support Programs
Even though there has been success with the programs in Texas, South Dakota wants to ban any similar programs from occurring in their state.
The ban would stop local governments from giving residents support on any basic income support schemes. The proposed ban passed a party-line vote in the Senate committee and has now been passed on to the state Senate.
Overall, the Basic Income Support Scheme Has Received Positive Results
Regardless of the opposition to the basic income support scheme, there is a lot of support for it overall.
The basic income support scheme has enabled families and individuals to lessen their money worries and buy items for their children to help them with their education, as well as learn how to improve their finances once the scheme ends.
