By Laura Bliss, Photo: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Washington Post, Bloomberg CityLab + Equality, February 25, 2022
An independent study of a basic income pilot in a disadvantaged part of Washington, D.C., adds to a growing body of researchon the benefits of direct cash transfers to communities in need. The study by the Urban Institute, a policy think tank, highlights the material as well as emotional improvements that such payments can create, particularly when they’re provided by a trusted community group.
“Intangible assets such as trust are critical to providing help in disinvested places,” the report states.
One of the largest privately funded cash transfer programs in the U.S. to date, the THRIVE East of the River partnership provided $5,500 in cash plus additional services to 590 D.C. households during the first year of the pandemic. The goal was to stabilize families from the economic crises of closures and lockdowns and foster greater mobility.
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