Barcelona District Set to Trial Universal Income Scheme Worth €13 million

Barcelona District Set to Trial Universal Income Scheme Worth €13 million

People remain divided on the issue of a universal basic income. Many people feel that the idea is impractical. Switzerland recently held a referendum on introducing universal basic income – which would see every adult in the country receive money from the government each month – but the plan was rejected.

The idea lives on however, as one of the poorer regions of Barcelona is to begin a trial scheme where people on the brink of the bread line are given government grants.

The pilot scheme will roll out in the Besós district of the city. €13 million has been set aside for the scheme by the EU. The scheme will look into creative and innovative solutions to the problem of urban property. Barcelona is just one region trialling the new approach. Also getting involved are Helsinki in Finland and Utrecht in the Netherlands.

The grants are going to be available for two years, with the money going to some of the poorest people in Besós. The participants will be randomly chosen from 1,000 households with the lowest income for the district. These participants will be given between €400 and €525 per month.

There are four separate groups in all. The program officials are analysing the four groups living in the area to understand how they spend the money and how they can improve on the idea of providing funding to impoverished areas.

The people selected to participate in the program are also expected to participate in schemes looking to find long-term employment and will be expected to join social inclusion projects. The aim of the program is ascertaining what kind of difference can be made to people in low-income housing after their basic cost of living is taken care of for them.

Barcelona City Hall is looking to monitor the kind of impact the scheme will have after guaranteeing the right to housing for these people. The scheme is intended to revolutionise the current fight against urban poverty, taking it to new places.

It aims to see how poverty can be reduced by providing universal economic support alongside access to a range of services including housing, education, community participation, and working.

The ultimate aim is to create an efficient welfare state not just in Spain, but across the whole EU. The people behind the scheme deserve a round of applause for coming up with such an innovative method of reaching out to the poor people of Spain and finding new ways to understand them and their situation.