Why listen
A cash experiment with homeless residents in Vancouver worked, and now U.S. cities are trying it too.
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In this episode
- What actually happened when people received $5,800 with no conditions
- Why the Vancouver results challenged common assumptions about cash aid
- How the idea has spread to cities across the United States
- What this approach could mean for how communities address homelessness
About this episode
Just over a year ago, we delved into a groundbreaking initiative by a foundation in Vancouver. Their question was: What if we gave people experiencing homelessness a lump sum of cash, no strings attached? The results were nothing short of remarkable — though they probably shouldn’t be surprising. Now, two years after that experiment ended, the idea is spreading to cities across the United States. So let’s revisit that initial episode — when we asked, what really happens when you give money to people experiencing homelessness?
About Next City
Join Lucas Grindley, executive director at Next City, where we believe journalists have the power to amplify solutions and spread workable ideas. Each week Lucas will sit down with trailblazers to discuss urban issues that get overlooked.
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