The Austin Guaranteed Income Pilot examines how direct cash might help individuals and families with low incomes weather unstable housing circumstances in some of the highest-poverty and most rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods in Austin, Texas. Starting in September 2022, UpTogether and 10 community-based partners enrolled 135 households to receive $1,000 per month for one year.

Urban Institute researchers are evaluating the pilot through surveys and qualitative interviews with participants and key stakeholders. We seek to better understand the following:

• The choices participants make around housing and how they utilize unrestricted cash to achieve their goals
• How participants leverage social networks to achieve their goals and how cash payments may affect these networks
• Participants’ interactions with formal assistance programs, focusing on both public and private sources of support and how cash payments affect these interactions
• Changes to participants’ income levels, food security, and economic mobility, housing stability, and financial capacity

At present, this site features preliminary findings. It will be updated with interim findings in the fall of 2023 and with final findings in late 2024.