Compass' Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Featured in The New York Times
Can $1,000 a month help a family exiting homelessness build a more stable future?
At Compass Family Services, we're constantly exploring innovative ways to help families move beyond homelessness and achieve lasting financial stability.
One of those efforts is our Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) Pilot, It All Adds Up, which provides families transitioning off rental subsidies with $1,000 per month for one year, giving them greater flexibility to meet their needs and work toward their goals. The pilot, funded by Google and implemented in partnership with Hamilton Families, examines whether direct cash assistance can help families maintain housing stability and achieve greater economic independence.
The article follows three Californians through a year of guaranteed income payments and beyond, including KaMesha, a Compass participant and mother of two.
For KaMesha, the additional income provided breathing room to pursue important goals. She enrolled in community college, secured a better-paying job as an after-school coordinator, and enrolled both of her daughters in a charter school. Her experience illustrates the potential of flexible financial assistance to help families take meaningful steps toward self-sufficiency.
The article also examines the challenges of guaranteed income, particularly how hard it can be for families when the payments end, a period researchers call "the cliff." These are important questions that our pilot is helping researchers explore.
We're proud to contribute to this growing body of research and to see the experiences of families like KaMesha's informing a national conversation about economic security.
READ THE NEW YORK TIMES FEATURE:
Interested in learning more about our pilot? Please check out the It All Adds Up website at italladdsupsf.org.
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