Empirics – it’s more than possible.

Guaranteed income experiments are popping up or expanding around the country, offering no-strings-attached temporary cash payments to low-income residents. Some governmental programs limit what recipients can or cannot pay for with their assistance. Guaranteed income programs select certain groups impacted by income inequality -- such as the impoverished or the formerly incarcerated -- and gives them monthly cash payments for an allotted amount of time. This allows participants to use money on whatever they need or want, which allows residents to fill in the gaps of what other financial assistance may not cover. These programs have been lauded by recipients, who say the payments have acted as a support system and offered mental and financial relief. Recipients have said the money has gone toward things like bills, debt repayment, childcare and more. Some research has indicated programs have the ability to increase employment in participants, improve financial and housing stability and improve physical and mental health in participants. The programs are also intended to address racial, wealth or income inequalities. Guaranteed income was a proponent of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, backed by Martin Luther King Jr. to address racial income inequality. Critics of guaranteed income argue that these programs may encourage dependency and stop people from working -- though such claims have been challenged -- or may be too expensive to maintain. Some call it a "band-aid" solution to the issue of economic inequality. Some of the programs are privately funded, while others have been backed by federal, state or local funding.