A modified targeted basic income could be paid directly to those individuals who require assistance. Those payments could serve as a substitute for the myriad of means-tested programs currently in place. You would eliminate the cost of the paternalistic government bureaucrats overseeing most of the programs and give the recipients the dignity that comes from the ability to prioritize those needs that are most important to them. It could be cost neutral. You could also structure the program to provide incentives to the recipients to seek employment, either by not penalizing them for earning additional income or at least not reducing their basic income on a dollar-for-dollar basis as their earnings increase.