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Need help buying food, paying a medical bill or fixing a flat tire? 'Guaranteed income' can help

Low income families can benefit from guaranteed income programs. (Courtesy of UpTogether)
Low income families can benefit from guaranteed income programs. (Courtesy of UpTogether)

One way to help the more than 37 million Americans living below the poverty line is simple: give them cash. That’s the thinking behind “guaranteed income” experiments in cities across the country.

One of the most well-known recent experiments launched in 2019 in Stockton, California. Since then, at least 36 programs have issued their first payments.

Here & Now‘s Deepa Fernandes learns more with Kathrine Cagat, a research and program manager for “Mayors for a Guaranteed Income.” She also speaks with Jesús Gerena, the CEO of “UpTogether,” who is helping run a pilot in Oakland, as well as a recipient there named Saphiah Awnallah.

Jesús Gerena is the CEO of UpTogether. (Courtesy of UpTogether)

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.