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Wednesday, April 12th, 2023

Project that gave $500 a month to some California residents shows that such efforts could have a ‘profound impact on public health, researchers say

Author:     Carma Hassan
Source:     CNN Health
Publication Date:     Mon April 10, 2023 | 5:34 PM EDT
 Link: Project that gave $500 a month to some California residents shows that such efforts could have a ‘profound impact on public health, researchers say
Stephan:  

Two years ago when this Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration or SEED began I did a story on it. Now the data concerning the effect of the program is in, and once again we have confirmation that even small programs that foster wellbeing can have significant positive effects. That being so, why is it so hard in this country to implement such programs?

To read the research study upon which this report is based see: Impact of Guaranteed Income on Health, Finances, and Agency: Findings from the Stockton Randomized Controlled Trial

SEED participant Susie Garza shows off the debit card she got each month through the program. Credit: Rich Pedroncelli/AP

Results are out from a two-year experiment testing the effects of guaranteed income on residents of Stockton, California – but the findings were complicated by the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, researchers say.

The program, dubbed the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration or SEED, gave monthly payments of $500 to 131 people starting in February 2019. There was also a control group of 200 Stockton residents.

A little over a year later, the Covid-19 pandemic began, launching a domino effect of lifestyle changes as more people stayed home under lockdown orders.

Researchers Dr. Amy Castro and Dr. Stacia West, from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Tennessee, found that people who received the money were more likely to be able to handle a $400 emergency, according to the analysis, published Monday in the Journal of Urban Health.

The extra $500 a month also “permitted judiciousness about COVID and what conditions workers would tolerate for poorly […]

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1 Comment

  1. Rev. Dean on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 2:37 pm

    I sure wish I could get an extra $500 per month, because I get barely enough to live on with just Social Security which does not pay enough to live a decent life upon.