Not to turn this into a basic income thread, but one concern I would have with it is, what do you do with people who take their $16K and spend it all on drugs or alcohol or gamble it away? Tell them "tough, that's all you get?" and let them die in the street? You'd still need social programs for those who can't/won't take on the responsibilities of daily living.
I don't think many people would have the stomach for that.
If someone is given the resources they need, and cannot manage them effectively, then they have bigger problems than simple provision of more resources is likely to help with. They can hopefully get the help they need in some more hands-on charity, from friends or family, from mental health programs, or from some other program more targeted at addressing their issues. Which is to say, of course, that yes - some kind of further assistance is eventually necessary in some cases, but let's not drown those cases in people who simply need access to more resources.
well, don't give it to them all at once. pay everyone biweekely or twice a month or something similar.
you'll still have idiots doing stupid shit, but less people spending their entire income on a Yaris in January with no thought of how they'll feed themselves in December.
I don't think many people would have the stomach for that.