She Received a $20,000 Basic Income. Two Years Later, She’s Back to Working Multiple Jobs.

Cepia Harper starts her day at dawn, commuting to her job as a middle school teacher in Atlanta’s morning rush. After lecturing about thesis statements, the 43-year-old grades papers, tidies up her classroom, then clocks into her second shift selling sneakers at Nike from about 6 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The two roles keep Harper financially afloat, especially after her guaranteed basic income program ended two years ago. She was part of Atlanta’s cohort of 650 low-income Black women who received $20,400 cash between 2022 and 2024, no strings attached. While the extra money allowed her to build savings and earn a new teaching certification, paying her monthly bills is still a challenge.

Business Insider first spoke with Harper in the summer of 2024. At the time, the single mom of three had begun teaching full time and felt stable enough to quit her part-time retail gigs. Now, she’s back to working multiple jobs — but she said life feels much more stable.

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Harper qualified for the In Her Hands program — run through nonprofits The Georgia Resilience and Opportunity Fund and GiveDirectly — because her household income was below 200% of the federal poverty line, which is about $64,000 annually for a family of four. She said the monthly payments of $850 helped her move out of a family member’s home and secure her own place. It also helped her afford groceries and activities for her children without stress.

Previous to the program, she had been cobbling together several retail gigs to make ends meet. Her packed schedule and intense hours were hard on the family.

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