Cepia Harper arrived for her shift selling sneakers at an Atlanta Nike store around dinner time.
The 43-year-old spent the day teaching middle school English classes, grading papers, and checking in on her own three children. By the time she got to the store, she was ready to curl up on the couch, but she needed the part-time Nike gig to make ends meet for the month.
It’s a contrast from where she was just two years ago. When reporters first spoke with Harper in spring 2024, she had just received her last $850 monthly check from a local basic income program and started a full-time teaching role. This summer, she’s back to working multiple jobs as a single parent, but feels much more confident about the future.
Harper is one of thousands of Americans who have participated in guaranteed basic income programs. The model — heralded by advocates as a solution to poverty and housing insecurity in big cities — offers no-strings-attached cash to low-income households, typically for one to three years.
Business Insider has spoken with dozens of participants and pilot leaders across the country. Most recipients put the money toward rent, groceries, childcare, and emergency expenses. A handful spend the funds on higher education or job training to further their careers.
Tech leaders like Sam Altman and Elon Musk — alongside several left-leaning lawmakers — have previously advocated basic income pilots, especially in a job market increasingly reshaped by AI. But it it can be difficult to maintain the political will and budget to run the programs sustainably, and participants have shared mixed results about their long-term impact.
Participant data for these pilots is collected before, during, and immediately after receiving payments. What’s less documented is how households fare in the years after their deposits stop. The jury’s out on whether short-term financial support translates to long-term stability.
“That money helped me get my daughter to college, it helped me keep my kids out of trouble,” Harper said. “It’s not just a handout. It can change a person’s life.”
Participants can choose how to spend their money
Taniquewa Brewster, 41, has a new baby. The little girl she adopted babbles as she does chores around the apartment, or takes calls for work as an assistant property manager.
Brewster first spoke with Business Insider in fall 2024, soon after receiving $12,000 over one year from a GBI program in Austin. At the time, the mother of five was working overtime and barely covering essentials, which she said was “keeping me away from my family.”
Part of the draw with basic income is the element of choice. Other social safety nets, like SNAP or Medicaid, are restricted to specific purposes, with households only able to spend the money on groceries or healthcare. With cash, advocates say that participants have more agency. They can cover a car repair, buy school supplies for their kids, or pay down debt.
Several basic income participants told Business Insider that being able to use the extra cash for childcare and education allowed them to forgo unstable, part-time jobs in favor of a more lucrative full-time job. Others said the money helped them afford a security deposit for an apartment, or pay for their child to participate in a sport. For some, it eased the burden of medical bills.
The vast majority of participants reported that cash increased their food and housing security, as well as their mental health and parent-child time, according to research from 27 US pilots across published by the nonprofit Mayors for a Guaranteed Income at the end of last year.
In June, Brewster said she earned the certifications she needed for a promotion with the help of basic income. She’s on her way to “breaking the curse of generational poverty” for her children, she said, and feels stable about her housing situation for the first time in a while.
“It felt like people were actually asking me what my needs were, and how they could help me meet those needs,” Brewster added. “There’s something comforting about someone actually caring enough to ask.”
Cash isn’t always a long-term fix
It’s been five years since Crystal Crawford lost her job as a social worker, and she’s getting back on her feet. She said she participated in Georgia basic income program, which gave her $500 a month between December 2021 and 2022. The money helped her cover bills and boost her professional certifications. The 40-year-old has a new job as a community engagement specialist, and a business strategy side hustle.
“Having the flexibility to be able to pay for things — like being able to get your hair done for a potential interview — guaranteed income allowed me to do things that I probably would not have been able to do during that time,” she said, adding that “financial hardship can happen to anyone.”
Basic income hasn’t been a magic fix for Crawford’s financial concerns. She said she has student loan debt in deferment and hopes to start making payments soon. And the balance of her savings account is “definitely not where I want it to be.”
Other former participants shared a similar sentiment with Business Insider. Some felt cash payments helped with short-term bills and professional development, but most pilots didn’t run long enough to impact their longer-term finances. Many said their savings accounts and retirement outlook didn’t materially improve. A few, but not all, said their annual earnings rose because of their career growth.
There are also hurdles to running a basic income program in the first place — let alone one that lasts longer than a few years. Some tech leaders who previously championed GBI for displaced workers have walked back their stance, saying that the payoff doesn’t justify the investment. Critics of basic income also worry that no-string-attached cash could discourage participants from working, or that the taxpayer cost is too high alongside other safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAP.
The cost of running these programs typically falls on local governments and philanthropists, and cities often aren’t able to maintain lasting political will to keep GBI funded, with some lawmakers worried they aren’t broadly effective.
Harper plans to keep working part-time on top of her full-time teaching job for her own peace of mind. Years after her cash payments ended, she said one income simply isn’t enough to raise a family.
Still, she credits GBI for helping her recover from one of the toughest times in her life.
“Before basic income, I was pretty much homeless,” Harper said. “I was able to get a new apartment, substitute teach, and pay my rent because I had that extra income. Later, it led me to get a bigger apartment, and land an even better job.”
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