How guaranteed income advocates strive to turn cash assistance into policy after COVID-relief funds dried up

Guaranteed income advocates hope to transform pandemic-era cash assistance programs into permanent government policy now that federal COVID-19 relief funds are expiring.

In a report published Aug. 12 titled "Right on Time: How Cash Helps Families Move Through Life’s Transitions," Economic Security Project (ESP) researchers Shafeka Hashash, Maya Tellman, and Rayan Semery-Palumbo made the case for institutionalizing "no-strings-attached" cash assistance.

The push comes as city leaders across the nation face a financial cliff.