How King County’s $500-a-month guaranteed income program fared

For years, Candice Johnson had a stable job and few money troubles.  

But when she was laid off during the pandemic, she found herself in “a chain reaction of events that kept going down.” Pregnant, jobless and forced to leave her home due to domestic violence, Johnson’s life “was an absolute mess,” she said. 

Then her luck turned around. She got an apartment through King County Regional Homelessness Authority’s Rapid Re-Housing Program and connected with case workers at the YWCA, landing a job at a Pierce County bank. 

And critically, she was tapped to receive $500 a month through a 10-month guaranteed basic income pilot program run by the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County, a local nonprofit organization.

The money helped her pay for her now 18-month-old son’s day care, cover gas to commute for work and stay on top of her utility bills. She’s also been able to save a little each month for small treats for her son, like money to go to the zoo or aquarium.

Johnson is on track to pay off the debts she accumulated while unemployed during the pandemic. She’s healthier, she said, and happier. 

“I don’t know what I would’ve done without it,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s experience is echoed in a report published in March on the impact of the program. The pilot program began in October 2022, with people joining on a rolling basis.

According to pre- and post-program surveys, the extra $500 helped recipients find more work with better benefits, increase their wages and grow their savings.

Employment among respondents jumped from 37% to 66% by the end of the program, according to the analysis conducted by the research firm Applied Inference. The average monthly income increased from $2,995 to $3,405. The percentage of participant households with savings increased from about a quarter to more than a third. Among families with children, the percentage with savings went from 0% to 42%. 

Participants had to be below 200% of the federal poverty line and live in King County to qualify. About 88% of participants were people of color, 58% were women and 39% were in households with children.

The Workforce Development Council partnered with local service providers like Asian Counseling and Referral Service and the YWCA to select participants. Each agency could identify who to prioritize, like those who are immigrants with limited English proficiency, or survivors of domestic violence. 

A core value of the program was letting households be “in the driver seat,” said Gyanendra Subba, a project manager who led the program. 

“If we gave people some financial support with some predictability, $500 a month for the next 10 months, they could have some breathing space to think clearly and focus on their goals,” Subba said. 

The results are in line with other guaranteed income programs that have launched in recent years, including those throughout the Seattle area. Generally, pilot programs have found positive results: higher employment rates, improved mental health and well-being, greater financial stability, increased incomes, decreased reliance on government assistance and reduced food insecurity. 

Proponents describe guaranteed income programs as a re-imagined social safety net, helping struggling families weather sudden expenses and pursue job and education opportunities that might permanently lift them out of poverty. 

Critics argue giving money to people without strings attached discourages them from working or becoming self-sufficient. Some also argue small cash payments don’t address systemic issues like entrenched income inequality or regressive tax policies.

Funded with money from the federal government, Washington State Employment Security Department, King County, JPMorgan Chase and the Workforce Development Council, the program cost about $500,000 to run, Subba said. 

The Workforce Development Council’s program focused on tracking signs of improved self-sufficiency and quality of life, like mental health, education, family stability and financial management. 

By the end of the program, 70% of survey respondents said their quality of life was good or better, up from 56% before the program. Half said their life had changed and they were now in a better position to move forward. The report did not detail long-term outcomes for participants.

One interesting survey finding was that debt among participants actually went up, Subba said.

He attributed that to “good debt” — participants making purchases they had delayed, like getting a new car or seeking medical care, because they couldn’t previously afford it or didn’t have enough time off. 

Unlike in some guaranteed basic income programs that have no strings attached, participants of the Workforce Development Council program were encouraged to go to financial education classes and had to meet with a caseworker once a month to check in on their employment goals.

That was helpful for participants like Riberiko Niyomwungere. A student at North Seattle College studying computer science, Niyomwungere hopes to get a higher-wage tech job one day but has struggled to keep up with the pressures of school, work and family responsibilities.

Before the program, Niyomwungere worked two jobs on top of school to help his household, with only one working parent, pay rent. Because his parents speak English as a second language, Niyomwungere, one of eight children, often helps his younger siblings with schoolwork. 

Niyomwungere said when he first learned about the program, it was like a lifeline. At the time, his grades were starting to dip, and he began experiencing depression. 

“It seemed way too good to be true,” Niyomwungere said. 

With the extra $500 a month, he was able to find a part-time job that was more convenient with his schedule. Niyomwungere was also able to spend more time with his siblings and relax on the weekends, as well as get more involved on campus, such as organizing a hackathon focused on social justice issues.

“It was like an initial investment. It came into my life and allowed me to do things I wouldn’t have been able to do,” Niyomwungere said. “Even without it continuing, it’s already done so much good in my life.”

Building on these impacts and findings, the Workforce Development Council is currently running two additional guaranteed basic income programs for King County residents, Subba said. 

One is a similar $500-a-month, 10-month program that started in October 2023. The other started in February, giving a minimum of 125 households $1,000 a month for a year. Subba said reports on the results of those programs will be conducted and released to assess their impacts.