this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2023
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If 100 homeless people were given $750 per month for a year, no questions asked, what would they spend it on?

That question was at the core of a controlled study conducted by a San Francisco-based nonprofit and the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.

The results were so promising that the researchers decided to publish results after only six months. The answer: food, 36.6%; housing, 19.5%; transportation, 12.7%; clothing, 11.5%; and healthcare, 6.2%, leaving only 13.6% uncategorized.

Those who got the stipend were less likely to be unsheltered after six months and able to meet more of their basic needs than a control group that got no money, and half as likely as the control group to have an episode of being unsheltered.

Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20231221131158/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-12-19/750-a-month-no-questions-asked-improved-the-lives-of-homeless-people

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 109 points 8 months ago (5 children)

$750 a month would improve the lives of plenty of people who aren't homeless too. Up to and including the middle class.

But I suppose a UBI is a non-starter everywhere in the U.S. but Alaska.

[–] EmpathicVagrant@lemmy.world 50 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You want universal anything it’s an uphill battle because of the cattle shouting about the cost or some nonsense.

[–] deft@ttrpg.network 11 points 8 months ago

Those who will make more money with UBI will just be mad they get taxed slightly more.

[–] ElderWendigo@sh.itjust.works 19 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Our corporate oligarchs already pitch a fit about collective bargaining, universal healthcare, and adjusting minimum wage to match inflation. I can't imagine they'd react well to a universal basic income except by raping the fading middle class even more.

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[–] doctordevice@lemm.ee 6 points 8 months ago (3 children)

That would basically cover my student loan payments, so it would be equivalent to loan forgiveness for me. Improve is an understatement, that would actually allow me to save money. Right now my wife and I make slightly above area median income and we're just treading water financially. This would be a game changer. We could actually consider having a kid.

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[–] alienanimals@lemmy.world 91 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Almost like the 1% are stealing from each and every one of us. With a fraction of their profits each one of us would live a better life.

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[–] MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca 76 points 8 months ago (26 children)

Giving people money improves their quality of life?

Who would have guessed?

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[–] Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world 49 points 8 months ago (17 children)

$750 a month is like $9000 a year.

I spend $500 on groceries!

I think this program would help a lot in so many ways and I hope it passes.

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[–] ares35@kbin.social 31 points 8 months ago (2 children)

$750 a month would be life altering for me.

[–] Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world 8 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Life altering like you can buy food and clothes?

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[–] Ataraxia@sh.itjust.works 29 points 8 months ago (2 children)

On 750 a month I could live in the forest somewhere and do occasional supply runs to replenish my tree fort. Or do a shit ton of drugs but either way I'd be pretty happy.

[–] Kushia@lemmy.ml 13 points 8 months ago

Tbh as long as you weren't hurting anyone, putting others in danger and were happy I personally wouldn't give a toss what you did with your money even if that came from taxes I paid. Better this then the current homeless situation.

[–] HerbalGamer@sh.itjust.works 12 points 8 months ago

Grow shrooms; do both.

[–] charonn0@startrek.website 26 points 8 months ago (14 children)

All these UBI experiments ever seem to demonstrate is the "BI" part.

But the part that needs to be demonstrated, IMHO, is the "U".

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 15 points 8 months ago (20 children)

Well we can't do that until we do that. And shitting on the experiments means we'll never do the Universal part.

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[–] AeonFelis@lemmy.world 23 points 8 months ago (3 children)

How did they collect data on what these homeless people were spending the money on? Sounds like some questions were asked after all...

[–] loutr@sh.itjust.works 21 points 8 months ago (1 children)

They asked the questions afterwards...

[–] Pogbom@lemmy.world 12 points 8 months ago

Exactly, they gave it to them and said "do whatever you want with it" then just checked what they did later.

[–] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 12 points 8 months ago

Receipts probably

[–] Kialdadial@iusearchlinux.fyi 8 points 8 months ago (4 children)

Couldn't they have just given them a card and just checked the bank statements later.

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[–] PP_BOY_@lemmy.world 17 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Now watch how out of touch conservatives are when they start claiming that these people are living in luxury. It's a great project and I'm not trying to demerit the people in charge, but $750 doesn't go far at all in a place like San Francisco

[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 15 points 8 months ago

Remember when they flipped their shit over obama phones? Like, poor people were getting free or low cost cell phones. The horror! What's next, food stamp steaks? What? You mean food stamps aren't limited to gruel and powdered milk?

[–] anonymous222@lemmy.world 16 points 8 months ago (2 children)

750$ a month changed the lives of people that had nothing? Yeah, right. Obviously!

[–] TheHotze@lemmy.world 26 points 8 months ago

Studies that test obvious expectations are actually super important. Sometimes the results are not what you expect, and the rest of the time, you have a study to point to whenever someone tries to say there's no evidence of that outcome.

[–] pound_heap@lemm.ee 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Well, there is an opinion that homeless people would use all money for booze, tobacco and drugs, etc. A study like this helps to contradict such opinion.

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[–] crackajack@reddthat.com 16 points 8 months ago (2 children)
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[–] Nacktmull@lemm.ee 13 points 8 months ago
[–] SuddenDownpour@sh.itjust.works 11 points 8 months ago
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