Jeremy Kehoe’s Post

Jewish Family Service is leading the way in a new way of thinking about critical assistance in the form of direct cash. Through JFS's four guaranteed income pilot programs, households receive direct cash, with no strings attached, so they can spend it as they see fit. JFS’s 2024 Guaranteed Income Program Report shows that unrestricted cash support acts as a systemic buffer, providing economic security during economic downturns, helping families weather financial emergencies, and enabling them to plan for the future. In a recent article from The San Diego Union-Tribune, JFS’s guaranteed income programs demonstrate how cash payments can be a catalyst for upward mobility—helping families move forward. Read the article >> https://lnkd.in/g-cJ-Fj4 Read the report >> https://lnkd.in/grxAhiqM San Diego for Every Child #guaranteedincome #community #movingforward #strongertogether

#Wisconsin is among the states where guaranteed-income programs have been tested. A new report says, despite controversy, similar efforts are useful in helping struggling households land on firmer financial ground. The city of #Madison gained attention for a program that ran from 2022 to 2023, where eligible households received $500 in monthly payments. Elsewhere in the U.S, the nonprofit UpTogether has helped cities facilitate payments that come with no strings attached. The group's Director of Media Relations Rachel Barnhart said last year, they helped 26.000 families access $18 million in unrestricted cash. Based on their outreach, all of it was spent on basic necessities. "Like housing, food, utilities, transportation, child care," said Barnhart. She said respondents note the assistance has improved their mental well-being, while allowing some to enroll their kids in after-school activities. There has been pushback, with skeptics arguing these programs discourage people from working. Even though Madison's effort was privately funded, Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin sought to prohibit taxpayer funding of these initiatives. The bill was vetoed. Barnhart said in addition to their own surveys, her group is working with researchers to convey the effectiveness of this aid amid some of the resistance. She said a key example from #Texas shows how important the payments are during an escalating housing crisis. "What the Urban Institute found in Austin," said Barnhart, "was a majority of the cash payments was spent on housing, and we saw an increase in housing stability. " She suggested a growing patchwork of these payments would serve as a shield against evictions as tenants struggle with skyrocketing rents. There are longstanding forms of cash assistance, like the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. But those come with more requirements, and Barnhart argued there's an uneven approach among states to distribute the aid to recipients. #guaranteedincome

My last “Help Robin move to Mexico” GFM post was a couple of days ago. It had 135 likes and 24 reposts. Since then I’ve received: - 1 Buy Me a Coffee ($15) - 2 paid subscribers ($7/month + $70/year) - 3 contributions of care ($1, $15 and $50) I’m transparent about the amounts because I want people to see how bleak it is out here for many of us who crowdfund. I don’t feel good about my own chances. And yet, I have hope. I absolutely believe there are more than enough resources for everyone. With that said, I don’t always believe that enough people who have resources actually want to share. I have a supportive community that genuinely cares about me. Can you imagine how dire it is for those who don’t? If you see a mutual aid ask and you think “it has plenty of likes, I’m sure they’ve met their goal” or “I only have $5, it won’t make a difference” then sit with this for a moment: My updated goal (because my poverty brain often underestimates my need) is $20,000. That amount in Mutual Aid Math can be: 100 people contribute $200 200 people contribute $100 500 people contribute $40 1000 people contribute $20 2000 people contribute $10 That post reached over 2000 accounts. If each person had contributed $10, I’d have easily met my goal. When it comes to collective community care *every* amount makes a difference. - Palestinian GFM’s - Mutual Aid Asks - Student Bail Funds …every amount makes a difference. If you don’t have financial resources to share, then find other ways to contribute to the collective wellness of your community. We really are all we have. Ways you can contribute to my own wellness? - Support or share my Mexico GFM - Join my Poverty Sucks newsletter - Direct contributions of care There is no paywall on my Substack. If you’re able to pay for a subscription, I’m grateful. Thank you. If you aren’t, you’re always welcomed there. There is also a new mutual aid effort in the Palestine guide called #CoffeesforGaza. It’s a top tier example of how collectively, we can have a major impact. *links in comments (click ‘most recent’ if you can’t see it) You don’t have to do it all but please, do what you can. “Without community, there is no liberation.” -Audre Lorde #PovertySucks ALT TEXT: The text, which varies between white and purple letters on a blue background says, Mutual Aid is just “helping people.” But what sets it apart from charity is the mutual part. It’s not transactional. It isn’t “I give you doughnuts, you wash my car.” It’s mutual in the understanding that we are all connected, so while I am helping you, I am helping myself. Our suffering and our healing are connected. Today I have the time and resources to help, not because I am smarter or better, but because somehow things played out this way. Today I have, tomorrow I may not. I share today.

The results of the biggest study on guaranteed income programs are finally in. The results are surprising. As a practice we've done a lot of work in Affordable Housing and for charities helping vulnerable groups. As such I've always been interested in what role UBI or Universal Basic Income might play to help prevent people from crashing to the bottom or getting them back out again. This is one of the biggest (3000 people) and longest (3 years) studies to date. The findings: 1. People were more likely to start their own businesses or enhance their education. 2. They unsurprisingly felt the ability to plan more for the future and had reduced stress not living 'paycheck to paycheck'. 3. Those with families particularly benefited. They were able to make decisions to spend more time caring for their children and supporting them. 4. They spread this wealth among their family and dependents and spent more money on basics like food and healthcare. The big argument against UBI was always that it disincentivises work. It's true that some people did work less. However this was a minority, often by a small amount and the reasons were strategic - looking after a child with autism, being in education or waiting for the right job with better career progression or other benefits. There is no doubt that the cost of UBI is high, but the cost of means-tested benefits is high too and many deserving people miss out on them because they don't know how to access them or they just don't fit the categories. While this won't answer the debate, this latest research does provide valuable data to keep asking - what does a better society look like?

United Way of Pierce County opens applications for Tacoma guaranteed income project How much would an extra $500 a month help with your bills? Starting next month, 175 households in Tacoma will be getting that help. United Way of Pierce County opened applications on Friday, March 1, for a program called Growing Resilience in Tacoma (GRIT) 2.0. The project gives families a monthly cash gift of $500 until next June. GRIT 2.0 is a $1.9 million dollar investment from the state, and is a collaboration between United Way, the City of Tacoma, Pierce County, and the State Department of Social and Health Services. Dona Ponepinto, president and CEO of United Way of Pierce County, said the project expands on Tacoma’s GRIT program, which served 110 families in 2021, and builds on the lessons learned. “Families want opportunities,” Ponepinto said. “Cash assistance, a cash gift to families, that helps them get over the hump, and is actually improving lives.” Ponepinto said Tacoma is one of dozens of cities in the country where similar guaranteed income projects are playing out. According to Ponepinto, research shows the money given out in these projects is fed right back into the local economy — and it also gives people a chance to invest in themselves, and leave the program in a better situation. “They’re working and getting better paying jobs, they’re going back to school, either getting degrees, or certifications, or training certificates,” she said. “There are so many things to show that having this type of program actually helps us all.” The project focuses on households that fall into what’s called the asset-limited, income-constrained while employed (ALICE) category. These households earn just enough to pass the federal poverty level, but still struggle to cover basic expenses. Around a third of Pierce County’s households fall into this ALICE threshold, and some communities feel that burden harder. “You’ve got about 48 percent of the Black households in Pierce County are ALICE families,” she said. “38 percent are Hispanic/LatinX, and then Native American populations in Pierce County, the households are just under 50 percent.” This comes as many residents in Tacoma say they’ve watched costs skyrocket, making basic necessities harder to afford. Ponepinto said she hopes the research from the project will help persuade lawmakers to take a closer look at the systems that’re supposed to address poverty. “Poverty is not a personal failure. Poverty is a systems failure,” she said. The project specifically targets those who live within certain zip codes within the city of Tacoma: 98404 98405 98408 98409 98418 98444 98445 Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 65 in a single head of household family with children who are 17 or younger, or 21 and younger if they are disabled.

A new report from the Headwaters Foundation in Montana showed at least half the people who receive public assistance are only enrolled for one year, dispelling a myth recipients are getting long-term government aid. Nearly two-thirds of people only receive one form of assistance. More than 120,000 Montana families receive government aid every year, based on their income. Erin Switalski, program director for the foundation, said they wanted to know who the recipients are, why they are enrolled in public assistance programs and for how long. "People are really receiving public assistance for short periods of time," Switalski reported. "We found that folks primarily are caregivers in the family. So, they might be caring for children; they might be caring for parents or an older adult." The report found #Montana's public assistance programs lift 69% of older adults and 44% of children out of poverty, and the numbers could be higher. The report estimated 40% of Montana families who are eligible for help do not get it because a variety of barriers prevent them from enrolling. Bryce Ward, founder of ABMJ Consulting, was commissioned by the foundation to do the study, called "Supporting Our Neighbors." Ward said the variety of people on public assistance was surprising and well over half don't receive these benefits for more than a year. "Those that are in for the longer periods of time are probably those you might imagine, right?" Ward observed. "They's the people who report more disabilities, families with young kids, and single parents." The report also found 97% of families with children who receive public assistance but have no aging or disabled members in the household have at least one person who works full-time. Disclosure: The Headwaters Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Early Childhood Education, Housing/Homelessness, Hunger/Food/Nutrition, and Youth Issues. 

📢 New Report: ALICE in the Nonprofit Workforce More than 1 in 5 nonprofit workers experience financial hardship. This new report dives deep into the financial insecurity facing employees who serve in education, health care, social services, and more. ➡️ Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/gy5VZXDG #ALICE #NonprofitWorkforce #FinancialInsecurity #UnitedForALICE

Here's more proof that giving money directly to poor people works. Researchers in Vancouver, Canada, found 65 people who had become homeless in the previous two years. They gave each of these people $7,500 CAD to spend however they wanted. This group and a control also got access to workshops and coaching for developing life skills. In a separate survey, 81% of respondents thought that the people receiving money would spend it on temptation goods like alcohol, drugs, or tobacco. Over the following year, researchers followed up with the two groups. Money recipients did not spend more on temptation goods, but did spend more on food, clothing, and rent. They also moved into stable housing faster than the control group and saved enough money to maintain financial security during the follow-up period. So go ahead and hand that homeless person some money and feel good about it.

We're proud to be featured in a recent article by Voice of America's Spanish division. Below is a translation from the original article, which includes an interview from SOME's SVP of Community Outreach Daryl Wright. "Voice of America recently highlighted the efforts of SOME, an organization in Washington, D.C., dedicated to helping the homeless. Founded in 1970 as a soup kitchen, SOME has expanded its services to include food, medical care, and temporary and permanent housing for individuals earning 30% or less of the Median Family Income. To qualify for the housing program, applicants must be sober, free of addictions, and employed. Residents contribute up to 30% of their income towards rent, with the remaining amount covered by housing tax credits. Daryl Wright, a representative of SOME, emphasizes that one of the initiative's main goals is to "restore the dignity" of those experiencing homelessness: "That they can get food, clothing, and, most importantly, be clean and stand at a bus stop without people laughing at them because they don't have a place to shower." Currently, 1,295 individuals are part of SOME's affordable housing program, with 98% paying rent on time. However, despite these successes, organizations like SOME face significant challenges, such as earning the trust of those living on the streets. As Daryl Wright notes, "Trust can be gained quickly, but it can also take months because the person has had many problems in their life... A lot of people are just scared." In addition to these challenges, organizations are also working to involve authorities to plan sustained, long-term solutions." Read the full article: https://bit.ly/3XbjtBE

Having served in government for a number of years, it is clear how important federal metrics are to every level of policymaking. Yet, these very metrics continue to betray the promise of economic security for millions of American. By focusing exclusively on acute economic deprivation, government measures (and therefore government policies) are not doing their part to advance wellbeing, agency, and security for all. We're doing our part by calling for a new measure that promotes actual economic security and moves us beyond deprivation. Take a look and join us! #measurewhatmatters