Austin Guaranteed Income Pilot
The Austin Guaranteed Income Pilot examined how direct, unrestricted cash could help low-income individuals and families weather unstable housing circumstances in some of Austin's highest-poverty and most rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods. Starting September 2022, UpTogether and 10 community-based partners, working with the City of Austin's Equity Office, enrolled 135 households to receive $1,000 per month for one year. It was the first city-funded guaranteed income pilot in Texas and was evaluated by the Urban Institute.
First city-funded GI pilot in Texas, Housing stability, Eviction prevention, Gentrifying neighborhoods, Urban Institute evaluation
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- City of Austin Equity Office
- City
- Austin
- State / Province
- Texas
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 135
- Funding type
- Government, Philanthropic, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 12,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 1,000 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Distribution Type
- Digital/Virtual payment card, Direct deposit
- Benefit details
Participants received $1,000 per month for 12 consecutive months (September 2022 through August 2023), totaling $12,000 per household. Funds were unrestricted and distributed via digital payment card or direct deposit through distribution partner UpTogether. The pilot was funded with roughly $1.1 million in City of Austin (public) funds plus about $500,000 in philanthropic funding from St. David's Foundation, which allowed enrollment to expand from an originally planned 85 households to 135.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Applicants had to live within the City of Austin and Travis County, be at least 18 years old, and have household income below 60% of area median family income for a family of four (approximately $66,180). Applicants also had to have experienced at least one housing-instability circumstance: transitioned from homelessness into permanent supportive housing, filed an eviction case, been behind on rent for two or more months in the past year, or received a notice of intent to evict / threat to vacate within the prior three months due to nonpayment of rent. Individuals who had already participated in UpTogether's earlier Austin guaranteed income pilot (March 2021–March 2022) were not eligible.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
Housing
- Housing status
- Renter
- Recently experienced eviction
- Yes
Financial
- Income limit (annual household)
- $66,180
- Income as % of Area Median Income
- 60 %
Geography
- US states covered
- Texas
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Austin
- Counties covered
- Travis
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
Participants took part in surveys and qualitative interviews conducted by the Urban Institute at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 6 months post-pilot to evaluate impacts on housing stability, income, food security, employment, and financial capacity.
Application Process
- How to apply
Enrollment was managed by UpTogether and 10 community-based partner organizations working with the City of Austin Equity Office; this was a closed, one-time cohort enrollment (not an ongoing public application) that took place ahead of the September 2022 launch.
- Selection process
Eligible households were identified and enrolled through UpTogether and its network of 10 community-based partner organizations in coordination with the City of Austin Equity Office, targeting residents in high-poverty, rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods experiencing housing instability who met the income and housing-instability criteria.
