Should Boston have a guaranteed basic income program? Readers say no.
“We simply cannot afford it.”
The Boston City Council is currently weighing a pilot program that would give the city’s poorest residents a guaranteed basic income. Neighboring cities such as Cambridge and Chelsea have already successfully implemented similar programs and could be a model for Boston.
The pilot program proposed at a Ways and Means hearing on Nov. 27 by Councilor Kendra Lara, aims to help the 18.9% of Boston residents living in poverty by providing them with a guaranteed monthly cash payment.
We asked our readers if Boston should have a guaranteed income program for the city’s poor, and most readers said they wouldn’t support such a program. Of the 440 readers who responded to our poll, the majority (77%) said they would not support the program, with just 22% in favor of it.
Nationally, a narrow majority of U.S. adults (54%) said they would oppose the federal government providing a guaranteed income of about $1,000 per month for all adult citizens, whether or not they work, a 2020 Pew Research Center study found.
Boston.com readers’ concerns over the proposed program largely surrounded funding. Specifically, where funding will come from, fear that taxpayers would be burdened to carry the cost, and questions about how sustainable long-term funding would be.
“We simply cannot afford it,” reader Philip W. from Boston said, echoing similar remarks made by Boston City Council President Ed Flynn at the hearing on the proposal.
“We would need significant funds for a universal basic income program. At this time, I don’t think we should experiment with the program,” Flynn said.
Other readers said they believed a universal basic income would encourage people living in poverty to stay in poverty or avoid joining the workforce. But proponents of the program, such as Jessica Ridge, the East Coast partnership director for the national anti-poverty nonprofit UpTogether, said it does the opposite.
“We’ve all been fed these stories about welfare queens, people cheating the system, pulling yourself up by the bootstraps. What we hear, what we see, is families are often working multiple jobs trying to make ends meet, or they’re trying to struggle to pay for childcare,” Ridge said on GBH’s “Greater Boston” radio show.
She said data on UBI programs shows that families spend the money they receive on essentials and planning for the future, and they contribute to the economy, despite misconceptions that people work less.
“They’re able to stabilize in the work that they’re in. They’re able to go to school — that’s a common one that we see — their housing is stabilized. It is not borne out in the data that people work less. If anything, they work more,” she said.
Many readers, however, offered alternative ways the funding could be used to address poverty in Boston.
Thomas from Brighton suggested that funds for a guaranteed basic income program be used instead “to improve the community infrastructure, things that the entire community can benefit from.”
Bryce from the South End said funding should go toward hungry children living in poverty as opposed to individual adults. The child poverty rate is 27.7%, or almost 1 in 3 children, according to the proposal’s hearing order.
“A guaranteed two meals a day, 365 days a year [program] for all children from families below a predetermined income level should be the first problem to address in the city,” he said.
And reader Dave from Wakefield said while he supports efforts to help those in need, even if the program were implemented, it would need “significant controls and limits.”
Below, you’ll find a sampling of responses from our readers sharing what they think about guaranteed basic income programs and how they feel about the Boston proposal.
Some responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
Would you support a temporary guaranteed income program for the city’s poor?
No
“There are already many programs to help the poor including housing, SNAP, fuel assistance, etc. We should focus and invest in programs to help the poor become self-sufficient, get them training and jobs. The guaranteed income sounds great for someone in need but without guaranteed funding, there is no guarantee. We simply don’t have the funding to provide a guaranteed basic income.” — John, Woburn
“Give a man a fish he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish he eats for life. This is a poor policy as there is no pathway to improve one’s ability to earn income. It is simply a band-aid.” — Gregory P., Salem
“We already pay some of the highest taxes in the country. I doubt long-term funding from nonprofits/medical centers/universities is sustainable. This will increase the tax burden of the middle class in the end once again.” — Larry, South Shore
“Councilor Lara said herself, ‘We know that poverty is a policy failure, as we have seen so many times, that requires a policy solution.’ I hope the city would focus funding and attention on better policies to correct problems that work towards mitigating poverty. After which we can begin to address who needs the extra help and why.” — Allen, South Boston
“As a poor woman who lives in the Boston suburbs, I vote no. My family already receives the highest amount of SNAP possible for our family size — $500 extra a month will simply float the neediest families from week to week. It will not genuinely change anyone’s economic situation.” — Rachel, Newton
“[The] money should be spent on job training and skills development. The best way to reduce poverty is to promote beneficial behaviors.” – Jack, Boston
“As Flynn pointed out, we cannot afford this so it should be dead on arrival. If funds are available, the money should only be distributed as part of a service-oriented program. You put time into working in the community on needed projects as the basis for receiving the funds. Just giving money out with no expectation on the individual to do anything for the community seems to be short-sighted and not send the right message.” — Ric, Dorchester
Yes
“As a single parent in a low-income home, I believe this program would be beneficial. It has been successful in other places and I believe the inner city would become a safer and more livable community.” — Mailisa, Jamaica Plain
“I grew up on welfare, Globe Santa, and hand-me-down clothing while living in the Maverick projects in East Boston for a third of my lifetime. I lost my parents as a teenager, was evicted from the projects, and had to find a way to make a living. I struggled to pay for rent and bare necessities and support myself as a young adult. It was only through hard work and education (I attended night college for over 5 years while working full time) that I was able to gain knowledge and a skill set to become successful in my chosen field. Thus, I feel the universal payment program for citizens living below the poverty line would be beneficial to give those a ‘hand up.’ I would like to see requirements that enrollment in a community college and/or volunteer work be associated with the program. This would allow the person to make continued gains with the hope of becoming self-sufficient.” — Toni A., Providence, R.I.
“[A guaranteed basic income program] would absolutely help me budget more. If I could pay everyone and everything off in a timely manner, I would have less anxiety about my future. The Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program (WIC) stops at age five. Food pantries don’t provide enough. Rent increases, groceries, vehicle repairs, etc. Growing up, my mom made me return bottles for cash. I take nothing for granted.” — Carol M., Roxbury
“Guaranteed income/universal basic income (UBI) in Boston will have a direct positive impact on the local economy. Quality-of-life crimes associated with poverty (such as shoplifting) could also be addressed with a UBI program in Boston. Allowing poor and low-income households in Boston a sensible, material uplift out of poverty is both practical and compassionate.” — Mink S., Dorchester
“As a former Boston Public Schools teacher with seventeen years of experience, I wholeheartedly support the implementation of a basic income program for residents living below the poverty level in Boston. Throughout my career, I have witnessed firsthand the formidable challenges my students faced due to factors beyond their control.
“The detrimental effects of inadequate nutrition, exacerbated by parents working multiple jobs and being absent from home, directly impact students’ ability to focus and learn. Furthermore, the pervasive issues of food and housing insecurity contribute not only to academic struggles but also give rise to heightened levels of anxiety and other mental health concerns among our young learners.
A basic income program is a vital step towards alleviating these pressing issues, fostering an environment where students can thrive academically and emotionally, ultimately creating a brighter future for the entire community.” — Greg A., Hyde Park
Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.
Be civil. Be kind.
Read our full community guidelines.To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address