Almost Basic

Poverty Should Be Eliminated

In a land of plenty, good intentions aren’t enough. We shouldn’t get credit just for trying to address poverty — not when the solution is right in front of us.

Almost Basic is the idea that direct cash transfers, delivered with dignity, fueled by generosity, and extended through community, can scale to fill the gap left by the many the ways in which we currently try to micromanage poverty. The ingredients are abundant. We want to build the infrastructure to unlock them.

Something’s Broken

Some problems are obvious. Kids go to bed hungry. Families work multiple jobs and still fall behind on rent. But poverty doesn’t just hurt the poor — it damages all of us:

• Some hoard dollars and postpone life. Prudent, sure — but doesn’t it feel a little too prudent sometimes?

• Innovations that we should celebrate become the enemy … don’t we “need” those jobs?

• We cheer when kids dream big, until it’s time to get a “real” job — and then dreams take a back seat to whatever the market happens to value.

• Churches and charities get stuck in crisis mode, burning their time to meet basic needs and leaving no time to fulfill their true missions.

• The market — our most efficient problem-solver — chases luxuries (or addictions) few people actually want.

And yet, if people simply had money, these problems would shrink. That’s not utopian. It’s common sense.

Imagine having a cure for cancer and refusing to use it. That’s exactly what we’re doing with hunger and other hardships. The cure exists. We just refuse to administer it. Instead, we build systems that destroy hope and stall progress.

So Why Don’t We Just Give People Money?

Systematic change is hard. But if it’s such a good idea, why don’t we just do it ourselves, voluntarily?

Here’s why:

• Because generous people get burned. Cash can be hoarded. It only takes a few bad actors to kill trust.

• Because we’re afraid. What if we make things worse? What if help becomes harm?

• Because dignity gets in the way. The people who need help most are often the least likely to ask or accept.

We need a system that addresses all three of these issues directly. Universal Basic Income is the simplest answer — cash, no strings attached.

• UBI can’t be gamed. Help becomes an investment of time, since the money is already there. Time can’t be hoarded.

• The trials show people do the right thing. They buy the basics, they don’t squander the opportunity. And even if a few fail, we have time to focus on the problems that remain.

• Dignity isn’t an issue. Because it’s universal, no one has to prove they’re worthy.

We don’t have UBI, but we’re not without hope. We don't have to wait for the government to step in. We can build something that works now.

Introducing: Almost Basic Income

A way to start today — community-powered and built to scale:

• We automate trust to scale generosity.

• We make it easy, safe, and dignified to give — and receive — exactly what’s needed.

• No red tape. No judgment. Just money that moves where it matters.