You wish you lived in Stockton, California right now. A lucky 100 residents of the state will be given $500 a month for a trial period of 18 months in order to measure the livability of median income families. Starting in 2019, those 100 people will be checked in on regularly for analysts to measure “health, financial security, and civic engagement” when extra money is added to a budget. But in order to be qualified for this trial program, you must have a median income lower than $46,000 a year and you must be in a qualifying county of the town.
Could 500 dollars really make a big impact on families? Would that extra cushion give families more financial stability and make them worry less about running out of money for the month? Think of this is a U.S. based allowance system. This trial run in Stockton is super important because, if the results bode well, this could be adapted in many other U.S. states as a basic income bonus.
When I was growing up, I didn’t have an allowance. But I know for a fact that, for the average American family, 500 dollars is not sustainable by itself. It’s meant to be a supplement for lowing pay jobs.
