NEWS GLEAMS | What Would You Do With an Extra $500? Results From King County's Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Program

A roundup of news and announcements we don't want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle.

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

King County Releases Report Detailing Results of Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Program

A study released by the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (WDC) and conducted by an independent research organization, Applied Inference, has revealed outcomes from King County's 10-month guaranteed basic income (GBI) pilot. The results show that providing supplemental income to low-income participants for a short period of time — especially when paired with assistance in financial education, career preparation, and case management — can lead to positive long-term outcomes in employment, finances, and overall quality of life.

GBI provided $500 a month to 102 participants who identified as low-income and spanned a range of life experiences and employment types; 58% were women and 88% were BIPOC. In particular, 45% of the sample group identified as Latine, Black, American Indian, or Native Hawaiian — populations the WDC specially selected for the study, as a part of its racial equity focus.

The program first launched in the fall of 2022. Following the pilot program period, participants had secured better-paying jobs, reduced their debts, and increased their savings. They also saw overall quality of life improvements in mental and physical health, including reduced anxiety levels, pain, and fatigue.

"Employment nearly doubled from 37% to 66%, and job quality dramatically increased with greater employee benefits coverage: retirement plans nearly tripled, and life and disability insurance participation showed considerable improvements," shared the WDC. "Moreover, the ability to cover expenses was consistently boosted, and the savings rate among families with children leapt from 0% to 42%."

King County already has two additional GBI cohorts already underway. One receives the same amount of $500 a month, and the other one receives $1,000 a month. Comparing them side by side will allow researchers to understand the impact of scaling up the monthly quantity.

The GBI program is part of a network of similar pilot projects being conducted nationwide and is one of the most robust when compared with other projects being tracked at the Stanford Basic Income Lab.

Download the full report on the WDC's website. Interested parties can also join a Microsoft Teams virtual meeting on Wednesday, April 17, at noon, for a summary of the research or to offer feedback on the program design.

4 Seattle Restaurants Named Finalists for the 2024 James Beard Awards

Four Seattle-area restaurants — among six in Washington State — have been selected as finalists for the 2024 James Beard Awards. They were whittled down from a list of 14 Washington State restaurants that were named as semifinalists in January.

The James Beard Awards aim to "recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media, and broader food system, as well as a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive." This year's awards ceremony will take place on June 10 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the finalists will be invited to attend.

The 2024 Washington State finalists and their categories are:

• Outstanding Restaurateur
  • Quynh-Vy and Yenvy Pham, Phở Bắc Sp Shop, Phởcific Standard Time, and The Boat (Seattle)
• Best New Restaurant
  • Bar Bacetto (Waitsburg)
• Emerging Chef
  • Janet Becerra of Pancita (Seattle)
• Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)
  • Avery Adams, Matia Kitchen (Orcas Island)
  • Kristi Brown, Communion (Seattle)
  • Melissa Miranda, Musang (Seattle)

A full list of James Beard Awards finalists can be seen on its website.

Celebrate National Poetry Month With Series on 'Places of Landing'

Starting mid-April, 4Culture will be celebrating National Poetry Month with a new slate of poems that will be available for public viewing on King County Metro buses and Sound Transit light rail cars. Select poems are now available online, in anticipation of the in-person rollout. The program was previously known as Poetry on Buses but was rebranded last year as Poetry in Public.

This year's theme is "Places of Landing," and its conceptualization was led by Poet Planner Laura Da'. Selected poems were submitted by residents across King County and chosen from the submissions by a panel of individuals, including local poets and literary arts administrators. In line with the theme, "Places of Landing," they honor "the movements, places, and feelings that tell the story of our days."

4Culture's poetry program first began over 30 years ago in 1992. It has now published work by over 1,000 writers, literary artists, and everyday people across the region.

As 4Culture explained in a detailed blog post, "Every other year from 1992 to 2007, 4Culture selected, printed, and displayed roughly 50 poems as part of Poetry on Buses, with different iterations spinning off a mix of related projects: collaborations with visual artists and graphic designers; collections of poems on websites and in printed booklets, including a 2005 anthology from Floating Bridge Press; framed editions that entered the County's Portable Works Collection; and special events that celebrated community voices with workshops, readings, and more."

Stay tuned for a series of upcoming poetry readings and public events in the summer.

📸 Featured Image: Photo via Hyejin Kang/Shutterstock.com

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