Woman Who Received $20,000 Basic Income Is Working Multiple Jobs To Pay Bills But Says It’s Still Changed Her Life
pocstock | Canva A 43-year-old middle school teacher who was part of a universal basic income pilot program is now working multiple jobs to pay her bills.
While speaking with Business Insider, Cepia Harper admitted that despite having to work twice as hard to keep her head above water, she's still grateful for the large amount of money she was given through a community-based program. She explained how the extra money she was gifted helped her through a particularly hard financial time.
Despite not being part of the program anymore, Harper insisted that if she hadn't received the money, she would likely still be struggling.
A woman who received a $20,000 basic income is working multiple jobs to pay bills, but still says it changed her life.
According to Business Insider, Harper, a teacher in Atlanta, had been part of a guaranteed basic income program in Georgia. Along with 650 other low-income Black women, Harper received $20,400 cash between 2022 and 2024, no strings attached.
The extra money allowed her to build savings and earn a new teaching certification, even though paying her bills is still a challenge. At one point, Harper, a mom-of-three, was teaching full-time and felt stable enough to quit her part-time retail jobs. Now, though, she's back to working multiple jobs, but she said life feels much more stable.
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"Before basic income, I was pretty much homeless," Harper said. "I was able to get a new apartment, substitute teach, and pay my rent because I had that extra income. Later, it led me to get a bigger apartment and land an even better job."
Harper had qualified for the In Her Hands program, which was run through nonprofits The Georgia Resilience and Opportunity Fund and GiveDirectly, because her household income was below 200% of the federal poverty line. The monthly payments helped her move into her own place, but now, without those payments, she's back to working more than one job to keep her head above water.
Many people have more than one job to help pay for their various expenses.
A study found that 17% of all U.S. workers reported having more than one job in 2024, and among these multiple job-holders, 53% said they need to work more than one job to cover their expenses. Sadly, 59% of respondents who work more than one job said they still lived paycheck to paycheck.
Harper's financial struggles are not unique, and many other Americans can, unfortunately, relate to them. Despite working multiple different jobs and bringing in extra income, it's still not enough to live a semi-comfortable life.
Of course, that is simply a reflection of the economy we're living in and the fact that government programs to assist people are slowly being pulled back entirely. As a result, it's only going to get worse as more and more people struggle to keep themselves financially secure.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
