ATLANTA'S I.M.P.A.C.T. GUARANTEED INCOME PILOT SHOWS IMPROVED FINANCIAL STABILITY, MORE PARENT-CHILD TIME AND LESS HOUSEHOLD CHAOS

Researchers find tangible benefits for households receiving monthly cash payments

ATLANTA, Ga., May 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income and the Urban League of Greater Atlanta, and Mayor Andre Dickens welcomed the release of independent data from the Income Mobility Program for Atlanta Community Transformation (I.M.P.A.C.T.) guaranteed income pilot, showcasing improvements in financial stability and resilience, more parent-child time, and less household chaos.

I.M.P.A.C.T. provided $500 per month in guaranteed income during the 12-month pilot period to 300 Atlanta residents who were at least 18 years old and lived below 200% of the federal poverty line, which is $53,000 for a household of four. The average participant was working, but median household income for study participants was only $12,000 per year. Independent researchers selected participants at random to receive guaranteed income or be part of a control group. Results include:

• Financial Stability and Resilience – Guaranteed income improved recipients' ability to afford a $400 emergency expense and reduced overall debt, including medical debt. Halfway through the pilot, more than twice as many I.M.P.A.C.T. participants were able to cover an emergency expense compared to people in the control group, and this difference was statistically significant. Nearly 30 percent fewer I.M.P.A.C.T. participants than control group members reported that they were going into debt, and 25 percent fewer reported carrying medical debt, a difference that was statistically significant.
• Employment – The rate of employment was unaffected by guaranteed income, and some interviewees said that guaranteed income allowed them to focus on finding a job with intention rather than desperation. After the pilot ended, participants were also more likely than control group members to say they expected to find work, consistent with reports that participants used the cash to invest in themselves, potentially with the hope of transitioning to better-quality or better-paying jobs after the pilot ended.
• Home environment – I.M.P.A.C.T. participants reported more peaceful home environments than did people in the control group during and after the pilot. Midway through the pilot, Household Chaos scores were 7 percent lower for I.M.P.A.C.T. participants than for people in the control group, and the improvement persisted through the post-pilot follow-up.
• Parents & Children – Parents, in interviews, said that the increased financial stability from guaranteed income allowed them to be more present, less stressed, and emotionally stable for their children, which created a beneficial cycle that led to more positive relationships with their children during the pilot and more satisfaction with their parenting.

"Receiving a monthly cash payment made a big difference for struggling families, not only helping them to afford basic necessities, but opening up new opportunities for them. It's inspiring to see that I.M.P.A.C.T. participants were able to begin to plan for the future, saving for emergencies, seeking better employment opportunities and being able to spend more time with their children," said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. "Financial stability for families is key to creating safe, healthy, connected neighborhoods, and that benefits all Atlantans."

One of the I.M.P.A.C.T. recipients told researchers that guaranteed income helped her thrift more professional clothing for interviews, saying "it gave me a little more confidence. I was able to fix myself up a little bit more and present myself. I went to Goodwill, I got me a couple of interviewing clothes…so I felt like I was able to… present myself a little bit more for a better, higher-paying job. That's what I went for."

Another recipient who started a mentoring program for youth described the impact of the cash, stating: "One thing I will say to the mayor is you want to have well-rounded citizens. Like, you want your citizens to be well-rounded, care about other people and stuff like that. So I definitely would say being on this program and having the ability to take care of myself gave me this type of stability to then look and see about others."

"It's inspiring to see guaranteed income succeed in Atlanta, the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who advocated for this specific solution to poverty," said Michael D. Tubbs, founder of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income. "The City of Atlanta and the Urban League of Greater Atlanta demonstrated courageous leadership in making this pilot a reality, and it's clear that it succeeded in improving household stability, both financially and otherwise. Voters want to see more guaranteed income programs, and it's time for leaders at the state and federal level to champion a dedicated funding source."

I.M.P.A.C.T. is affiliated with Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, a coalition of over 170 mayors and growing. The research findings from Atlanta build upon similar results from over a dozen mayor-led guaranteed income programs in Stockton, CA, Saint Paul, MN, Cambridge, MA, Paterson, NJ, Richmond, VA, Baltimore, MD, Los Angeles, CA, Birmingham, AL, New Orleans, LA, Shreveport, LA, Louisville, KY and Tacoma, WA, which have shown increased employment, greater financial stability, more parent-child time, and better levels of overall well-being, among other findings.

Read the full report on the Ithaca Guaranteed Income pilot here.

Founded in June of 2020 by former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income is a coalition of nearly 170 mayors committed to advancing a federal guaranteed income – direct, recurring cash payments to middle and low-income people. Expanding to include city and county legislators in 2023 with Counties for a Guaranteed Income, the network acts as a research and resource hub for municipal pilots around the country–over 70 and counting. An award-winning documentary film, It's Basic, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2023, follows recipients and illuminates the life-changing impact of guaranteed income programs on families' economic security and opportunity.

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SOURCE Mayors for a Guaranteed Income