Unconditional Cash Study
• 07.18.2024
Participant Stories
Profiles
These short vignettes are based on five rounds of in-depth qualitative interviews done during the cash transfer program. (Note – an additional interview will take place one year after the final cash transfer.) Qualitative interviews are done to better understand individuals’ experiences, decision-making, and constraints as well as any impact of the cash transfers. Study participants were randomly selected for these qualitative interviews.
Audio Anthology
Participants share, in their own words, their reflections of the three years in the program. Participation in the audio anthology was optional; as more participants choose to share their stories, additional stories may be added.
All Stories
42 total participants
Quote:
View StoryAlina
Alina is a single mom living in the same Chicago home she grew up in. But, she knew she wanted different education opportunities for her son than were afforded in her neighborhood.After receiving a few months of unconditional cash, her mentality changed. Instead of dreaming about new schools for her son, she actually started researching possibilities and found they weren’t that out of reach. Also, after struggling to navigate a complicated custody legal system, she was able to procure legal aid to pursue child support for her son. …Anthony
Anthony has a 9-month-old daughter who lives with his girlfriend on the other side of town at the start of the program. Their daughter was born three months premature and has specialized medical needs because of this. His biggest sources of stress at the time are his daughter’s health, and his finances. He has a job in customer service, but his real goal for the future is to get his side business–doing digital graphic design–to become profitable. When he learns about the $1,000 a month he sees this as the perfect opportunity to do just that. He tells us, “There's no way that I'm going to take this opportunity and not make some progress and not progress from it.” For Anthony, the money unlocked his potential. During the last three years, Anthony uses the $1,000 to save money and eventually rents an apartment for himself, his girlfriend, and their daughter in a neighborhood he prefers. He uses the money to buy a better computer that he needed for his digital art. He also used the money to pay for classes in an advanced technology program. The unconditional income helped him go back to school, and supported him investing more time and effort into his business. As a result, his graphic design business is now a primary source of income. …Belle
When Belle first learned she would be receiving $1,000 every month for three years, she knew that she wanted to use it to move. After her fiancé was murdered, she moved in with the grandparents of her two oldest children. “I knew my ultimate goal was I’m leaving here”. She took the unconditional cash and opened a security credit card to start building her credit. Every month, she put half of the money into her savings account. She was able to use the money to build her credit score, move out into her own apartment, and help pay for her children’s graduation and college expenses. “Both my kids started going to college, we didn't have a financial struggle, in a sense. We didn't have to struggle financially. With that extra $1,000 a month, it helped so much on just senior pictures, or hey mom, I wanna go so-and-so with my friends. It was the supplemental income, as if I had a helper. It really was my help mate.”The money gave her an opportunity to plan and budget, which she had never been able to before because she never had extra money. “To some people it was extra money, but to me, it was just a lifeline…realistically, when you start paying bills or you start doing this and this and this, once you break up $1,000, it's gone real fast. It made me be smarter about budgeting…I gotta make it stretch for all of these extra things that I can't afford from my check.” …Cara
In 2016, Cara suddenly developed a debilitating health condition that caused severe pain and mobility issues, forcing her to quit her job. Her life became unrecognizable. In the following years, she found the disability system to be bureaucratic and complex to navigate. Her initial application for benefits was denied, and she relied on GoFundMe campaigns to make ends meet.When the unconditional cash transfers began in 2020, Cara was able to cover her basic needs and alleviate some of her day-to-day stress. After reapplying for disability benefits, with additional legal support, she was approved two months before the end of the program. …Celene
Celene, in Illinois, loves to landscape, and she started a lawn care business with her ex-wife. Unfortunately, their other business partner became embroiled in lawsuits. They lost their income and were forced to move with their kids into a friends’ drafty basement. At that time, Celene didn’t have access to a car to get new employment. But, with the infusion of unconditional cash, she was able to start buying necessities – and more – for her kids. That helped improve her mental health. Ultimately, she was able to move her family to their own home. …Chelsea
Chelsea is a first generation college student. At the start of the program, she had recently been accepted to a graduate program, and her biggest source of stress was trying to figure out what she was going to do for money while she goes to school. Growing up low-income and without family support, she felt at a disadvantage. “I put myself through school, and I’ll have to do that again. I guess not having a family contribution to my education has been the biggest financial hardship.” When she learned about the $1,000, she saw it as evening the playing field, and bringing her up to level with her middle class friends. Now, three years later, Chelsea has graduated with a master's degree. Additionally, she was able to move to a safer, more walkable neighborhood because of the unconditional cash. She also used the money to invest in a business professional wardrobe. The money did not fix everything for Chelsea. Since graduating, she is now struggling to find a job in her field. She also no longer has health insurance through her school and is not able to afford medical care. She is currently making ends meet with financial help from her partner. Despite this, Chelsea feels optimistic about her future and credits the program. “I'm a little bit more accomplished now. I'm the first in my family to have a master's degree, and I do feel like they're going in the right direction overall.” …Chloe
Chloe was in the process of making a career change, transitioning from waitressing to an office job. She had been making more waitressing, but it was very hard on her body. She was also being sexually harassed by one of the cooks. During this transition her budget was tight, and she was barely making enough money to get by. The $1,000 could not have come at a better time. “I was so happy, because I was working two jobs at the time and because I had just done that career change.” She feels she had a primary goal for the money – save for a house – and she achieved that. Chloe is proud she has something to show for the money, and that she was also able to use the money to help others throughout the years – starting a bible study group out of her house, and being able to give money to or buy food for friends and family when they needed help. “I felt like you did remove a great deal of stress off of me,” she tells us. However, she acknowledges that money doesn’t fix everything. Now that the program ended, her goal is to work on budgeting better and being more financially responsible. …Craig
After Craig started receiving $1,000 a month, he was in a car accident that broke his right femur and left him unable to work for two months. He was forced to move back in with his mother while he recovered. He relied on the unconditional income and support from his mother to carry him through this period of unemployment. Once he could start working again, he found he could no longer do physical labor because of his leg pain. The unconditional income gave him the agency to search for a job that was less physically demanding. Craig feels this allowed him time to heal and not experience chronic pain. He was able to be more selective and found a job as a sales representative. A year later, Craig faced another barrier to work when his truck broke down. He used the unconditional income that month to pay for a new battery. The money helped him weather these storms, find and maintain a stable job, and save money. As a result he was able to save $15,000 and now feels financially secure. He tells us, “I feel like I’m elevated, like I’m more wiser. Learning how to save the money has been really great for me. Just learning how to save it, how to manage money. I was able to save where I don't have to struggle.” …Daniel
Daniel, a father of two, suffers chronic daily pain. Daniel has had three knee, three back, and one shoulder surgery, result of his years of military service and playing soccer. Over the years Daniel found himself working numerous low paying jobs that were hard on his body. When he started receiving the $1,000 per month, Daniel was able to combine the cash with his wife’s income, and his VA disability benefits to make ends meet while he searched for employment that was easier on his body. He feels the cash gave him more freedom to be more selective in his job search and he now works a higher paying job, working fewer hours than his previous job, and finds it better for his health. “I didn’t have to take the first crappy job I was able to find. I was able to hold out for something a little better pay-wise.”Daniel’s primary goal was to use the cash to pay off his credit card debt, which he almost entirely paid off. At one point, he was out of work for two months, and the cash helped save him from accumulating more debt. Daniel feels he and his family will be fine financially when the program is over. …Debbie
Debbie, living in Fort Worth, Texas, had been married to her ex-husband since she was 19 years-old. He controlled both of their finances and over the years, became increasingly abusive. After he struck one of their children, she decided to live independently with her children. It was a big change, but with the unconditional cash, she was able to cover bills and set up her LLC. …Demarcus
Demarcus describes himself as a “simple guy from down South”. Like many, Covid lockdowns filled him with a new uncertainty, but the unconditional cash gave him a sense of stability and confidence that he would get through it. Beyond the stability the unconditional cash brought him, it gave him a new sense of financial understanding and ambition. …Desiree
Desiree is a mother to five, three of whom are in college and two younger children who live at home. At the start of the program, Desiree worked part-time as a photographer, though limited due to lack of childcare. Her husband’s paychecks were their primary source of income. Desiree described creatively prioritizing expenses each month, sometimes not turning the water back on or going without internet, to make ends meet. When she learned about the unconditional cash she thought to herself, “Oh my gosh, I might actually be able to pay some things without struggling every month.” Over the three years, Desiree was able to use the $1,000 per month to help her mother out with a grocery delivery service, so she didn’t have to leave her home during the pandemic. She used the money to access healthier foods for her family, help support her older children in college, and buy her younger kids clothes and books for school. She was able to put her youngest son in sports, which she could never afford before the cash assistance. At the end of the program, she reflected on the fact that between her work, her husband’s income, and the consistent unconditional cash, her credit score has improved, and they’ve been able to keep up with their mortgage, and provide support to family members. She feels her life is a 10/10 now, and she has aspirations to start a small charity to help others struggling. …Dominic
Like many young people, Dominic wanted to save money for retirement. But, when the pandemic hit and he lost his service industry job, he started to think differently about his relationship to work and money. He started working gig jobs, which gave him the flexibility to design his own life. With the unconditional cash, Dominic was also able to get top surgery as part of his transition. For Dominic, the unconditional cash afforded him the opportunity to explore what really mattered to him outside constant productivity. …Dominique
Dominique grew up feeling like she didn’t matter. Raised in an abusive household, she was constantly told she would never amount to anything. As an adult, her inability to support her family financially continued to reinforce those beliefs in her mind. She was struggling to find employment because she could not afford a car, and this caused significant depression. She feels that with a car, and a job, “I might actually be able to get a little bit happier with things. I won't feel like such a burden on people. Not having to ask people to help out financially would help out significantly in my mind.” With the money, Dominique was able to get a car, and secure a job. She put money down on a house and moved her family.. She also used the money to help people, giving money to her friends and family when they needed it. She feels that being a part of the program has helped undo some of the negative self-talk instilled in her as a child. …Eliza
Eliza is a mother to two children. She lives with her husband, her business partner, and her two young sons. Eliza, her business partner, and her husband all work in the theater. Eliza has a BFA in Fashion Design and her husband works for a theater-related non-profit. Prior to the start of the program, Eliza co-owns a costuming business out of her home, making high-end, made-to-order costumes. The $1,000 per month helped their small business become bigger over the three years in a way that was "overwhelmingly positive." Because of the money, Eliza didn't have to do as many "outside jobs" for steady income and instead could spend her time developing her own ideas and products, progressing their business.The unconditional cash allowed Eliza more time for creativity. She tells us they have “managed to rise to the top of their field”. Their business now comes highly recommended, and they have to turn away business. It will be rough adjusting to life without the money, “but I think ultimately, we'll get there.” They are planning to focus more on Etsy and craft shows, and hope to get a wider product base in the future. Eliza was also able to buy a house during the program. …Evelyn
Evelyn dreams of buying her own home. But, back in early 2020 her credit score was in the 400s.When she started receiving the cash transfers, Evelyn realized she could put the money on a credit card to pay her bills and slowly rebuild her credit after having previously declared bankruptcy. Now her credit is almost in the 700s and she’s seriously thinking about how to get a loan and buy a home. …Grace
Grace is a single-mother to three children. She grapples with multiple health conditions that make it hard for her to work. The $1,000 per month has “been a big blessing” in Grace and her children’s lives. She used the money on extracurriculars for her kids–sports, powerlifting, and band–as well as prom, school supplies, and field trips. Without the money, she could not have paid for a dual credit course for her daughter, which allowed her to graduate high school early and start college. Though the money helped, in many areas of Grace’s life it did not go far enough. Her goals were to use the money to improve her health, move out of her parent’s house, and secure transportation. Yet she continued to run into walls with her health, with misdiagnoses, botched surgeries, and trouble getting appointments. At one point she does get a car but can only afford an older car that breaks down after a time, and Grace cannot afford to fix it. Between her unreliable transportation, and living in a rural area removed from job opportunities, she struggles to find employment. Though there are still many “ups and downs”, she feels the program has helped make ends meet over the years, and her kids’ lives are better for it. …Heather
At the time the program started, Heather was trying to navigate and ultimately end an abusive relationship, her father had just passed away, she had just lost her job, and she was unsuccessfully trying to apply for disability benefits. She says, “I was struggling mentally…I wanted everything to be different. It was such a miserable time.” For Heather, the unconditional income was something reliable in her life at a time when everything was falling apart. “If I hadn't have had that money, I would've lost my apartment.” The money helped her make ends meet, and gave her more confidence in the idea that she is valued. Because of the program she tells us, “I survived, I learned a new skill, and I learned that there are really good people in this world.”Three years later, Heather is in a better place than at the start of the program. She is investing in her own mental health, and building a “positive, healthy” new relationship. The $1,000 allowed her to work part-time while attempting to apply for disability benefits again. She used some of the money to buy a tattoo machine, and start tattooing, which had been a dream job of hers. “One of the many great things that have come out from having this money each month, is I was able to, you know, try and go for something that I've always wanted to try.” Her goal is to eventually make this her job. …Jackie
At the beginning of the program, Jackie dedicated a lot of her time to taking care of her ailing husband, a relationship which she describes as abusive. Throughout the program, she experienced health challenges of her own, navigating her experience of trauma and depression.During the unconditional cash study, she used some of the money to leave for a halfway house. By the end of the program, she returned to supporting her husband as a full-time caretaker."I did use some of that money to make my way through the halfway house. I lived in another state for a year and I should have stayed. I should have stayed where my family and my kids were, but I didn't. I ended up coming back and falling back into his trap and it just started the whole cycle over again.” …Jeremiah
Jeremiah is living with his fiancée and their 6-month-old baby at the start of the program. He lost his security job during the pandemic and was working a low-wage job with unstable hours. Even with their joint income, they were not making ends meet. Moreover, he has sickle cell anemia which causes him to miss work at times. Yet his financial situation pushes him to work as much as he can, so he isn’t able to seek needed medical care. When he started receiving the $1,000 a month, the combined cash, his rental assistance, and the joint household income, is enough to keep them afloat for a time. Then, the lack of childcare causes him to lose his job. After the birth of their second child, they eventually lose their apartment, and end up in a hotel room. Though the $1,000 a month helped, ultimately it was not enough to overcome all the barriers in Jeremiah’s life. At the end of the program, he and his family are facing homelessness and often unable to afford food. …Jessie
Jessie, a single mother to two children, is a business analyst. During the three years of the program she was laid off from two jobs. The $1,000 a month gave her a financial cushion to be able to search for a new job each time. The first time, Jessie was able to spend months looking for a job until she found one she wanted. Her income from employment increased over the three years in the program. Now, Jessie finds herself unemployed again, but she has money saved up. Between her savings, unemployment insurance, and the unconditional cash, she is able to weather this period of unemployment. She feels because of the money she can be selective with her job search. Jessie has a number of “must haves,” including working 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday and not being on call. She is confident she will be able to find something and says that since the program started, each job she has taken has been better than the one she left. …Kyle
Kyle is a father of three. The children's mother struggles with mental health and substance abuse issues, and he handles the majority of parenting responsibilities. In 2017, Kyle suffered a back injury which required surgery and left him unemployed for over 2 years. During this time, he got buried in debt. When he first learned about the unconditional cash, his main goal was to stop the constant calls from collectors. He felt a pressure to get out of the hole. “I could finally stop the creditor calls all day every day…you know just alleviate some of that day-to-day, constant agony of phone call after phone call…sometimes you just have more months than money.” He had been thinking about getting a second job to pay off the debt but was worried about affording childcare. “I can't afford to pay somebody to watch my kids while I go make 5 or $10 an hour. It just doesn't make sense if I'm paying $40 an hour for childcare.” The $1,000 a month made it so he didn’t have to work two jobs, and he could spend more time with his children. “Just being able to be more aware and present.” He used the money to break the “vicious cycle” of debt. He is still plugging away at this but is now 70% toward his goal. For Kyle, the money freed both his time and his mental bandwidth allowing him to focus on other things. He has since gotten a gym membership and taken steps toward improving his health, he got his children involved in karate, and he started thinking about going back to school. …Leigh
At the start of the program, Leigh is in the process of applying for SSDI, having already been denied once. She has been unemployed since 2017 and has significant health challenges, both physical and mental, that make it difficult for her to work. Thankfully, she is able to live with her parents but even so experiences financial difficulties and can’t always afford to pay for personal care items. She tells us her hopes for her future are to have less stress, move out on her own, and to have some sort of income but isn’t optimistic things will change. When she learns she will be receiving $1,000, “I was bawling my eyes out in the middle of a Walgreens parking lot.” Leigh feels the money changed her life. During the three years, she completed a certificate in medical billing and coding and will soon start a new job at a prestigious hospital, and she bought a vehicle. She continues to live with her parents, to provide care for her mother who has MS. Living there helped her to save up $2,000 by putting $100 of the money aside each month. Leigh was also able to quit smoking and feels she is in a better place physically and mentally. …Lila
Four years before the program started, Lila was the victim of a horrific domestic violence attack. “I got shot three times in my head, stabbed in the neck. I was completely paralyzed on the right side, totally blind. Um, some of it has come back and I've learned to like walk and stuff again, but that has definitely like affected my life so much.” As a result, she has PTSD, partial blindness and multiple complications, impairing her ability to drive, and making it difficult for her to work or live independently. She applied for disability benefits but was repeatedly denied. When she learns she will be receiving $1,000 a month felt like it was replacing “the disability that the government keeps refusing me.” Unable to work, she feels if it were not for the program, “I probably would be homeless without it.” "It's allowed me to be able to not work but still be able to pay for everything I need to and focus fully on getting my mental health and school stuff figured out. It's a huge help." In preparation for the end of the program she’s been building up her savings more and talking with lawyers to try once again to apply for disability benefits. …Lisa
Lisa is a single mother to three living in Texas. At the start of program, she had no income. Lisa has lupus which kept her out of the workforce at the time, and her short-term disability had been cut off. At the time, her goal was to return to the workforce. Because of the $1,000 per month, Lisa is able to take a job making less money than at her previous job, but with a company that offered more opportunity for growth. Two years later, Lisa is in a salaried position, making over 75k, has gotten two promotions, and thinks she can get another within a year. She loves her job. “If I didn’t have that money from Every Dollar Counts, there is no way I could have taken that pay cut, but hearing about the growth opportunities, I was like, I have to give this a shot, but if I didn’t have the EDC money, there’s no way I would have been able to take this.” Lisa was also able to leave her abusive boyfriend and move into her own place, which wouldn’t be possible without the unconditional cash transfers. Her three sons are thriving. …Maggie
Maggie is a single mother of eight children. Just prior to the study’s start, she bought and moved into her own home. The unconditional cash was used in many ways, from house repair to self-care. The family’s budget had long been stretched thin and for the first time, Maggie was able to purchase new essentials, instead of repurposing old and broken items. …Mallory
Mallory is a mother to two pre-teen daughters. Prior to being selected to receive $1,000 per month, Mallory tells us, “I was kind of stuck”. Mallory was in an abusive relationship with her husband. He refused to work, and she was the sole income for her household. Because of this, she wasn’t able to save money and didn’t feel she had financial security to make it on her own. Just before she started receiving the unconditional income, she had left her husband and moved her daughters into her parents’ house. She did not have stable employment at the time and was unsure how she was going to make ends meet. Her parents were helping as best they could, but they were not financially stable either. Everyone was struggling. Mallory recalls the first time she saw the $1,000 payment in her account. She describes she felt, “overwhelming relief”. “I was scared of the thought of having to support my children on my own without any kind of assistance. And once I got the money, it really helped me not feel like I was stuck”. Without the program, Mallory tells us, “I would probably still be in an abusive relationship.” Because of the $1,000 she was able to get her daughters away from an abusive home life, and expose them to new experiences like the skate park or going to their local splash pad, that she had been unable to do before. …Martha
With the unconditional cash transfers, Martha was able to move her and her children out of her sister's house where they were living with 7 other people, and into their own house where each of her kids had their own room. Throughout the past three years Martha experienced a job loss, as well as ended an abusive relationship. During these periods of time, she feels the $1,000 carried her through. There were times she had to depend entirely on the money. At the end of the program, she is working a stable job with excellent benefits that she loves. Though she feels like she is in the same financial situation as before the program started, the cash assistance allowed her to take on expenses she otherwise could not–such as renting her own house and buying a car. Martha explains, “It’s just like I’m back in the same spot that I was, but now I have more financial responsibility”. “But I tell you it helped me in so many ways, it really made a big change in my life. I feel a little more secure because I knew I had that money coming in every month. That was the money I was depending on to pay my car payments, I was depending on for my bills. I was able to get this house with that money. I was able to get a nice place for me and my kids.” …Max
Max was sharing a couch with his son in his mother’s living room at the time the program began. He was unemployed and struggling to find work, having lost his job as a taxi driver during the pandemic. Between looking for work, struggling to pay his bills, and having a son with fetal alcohol syndrome, he was experiencing a lot of anxiety and depression at the time. “I was stressed, like not knowing where my income was coming from and stuff like that..I was just making it by, you know, like barely making it. And then I got that first deposit and I'm like, man, this is real. And then it was just like a big rock off my chest.”The unconditional income gave him choices he didn’t feel he had before. “I was like, man, I could really use this money. Like, I could really, you know, do things with this money that I didn't have before. I'm going to get my own house…I'm going to take my kids on trips.” Max used the money to get an apartment for him and his son. He continues to struggle to find work, but feels the money reduced some of the financial stress and improved his mental health. He tells us the money was life changing not only for himself but his son as well. …Nikki
Nikki is a mother to two children, who lives with her husband and kids in Illinois. Both she and her husband have graduate degrees in pharmacology. At the time, Nikki was working part-time because their daughter has a rare genetic disorder and caring for her prevents Nikki full-time work. Her husband had been the primary breadwinner but was unemployed at the time and they were experiencing a lot of financial uncertainty. When she first learned she would be receiving $1,000 per month she immediately knew she wanted to use the money to get her teeth fixed, which had been causing her pain and affecting her emotional well-being. After fixing her teeth, “the rest was just like a whole bunch of other things that brought us a lot of joy.” She used the $1,000 on psychotherapy to improve her mental health. She also used it to take courses in business marketing to facilitate a possible career change. By the end of the program, Nikki was working fewer hours at the pharmacy, which was a stressful job, and added a second job as an interpreter, which she loves. She is making more income than prior to the start of the program and is happier. “You know, it gave me help when I needed it.” Now that the program has ended she tells us, “I think I will have to, like fish my own fish, right? Like I have to come up with the money for a little extra. But I feel like I got equipped to do it. Like I've managed it well to where now, I can see the opportunities to make it happen.” …Nikisha
Nikisha lives with her husband and their three children in a small house owned by her in-laws. Before the program, she was unemployed, needing to stay home with her young children. Finances were strained, and they often paid bills late and went without. Though she feels like her situation would be worse without the money she tells us, “I was grateful to receive it, but I don't really feel like it made a major difference in my life because I still had to — I still paid bills late. I still struggled.”At the end of the program, her husband is the sole source of income. Nikisha feels if she had a job her life might be different, but she lives in a rural area and the jobs closeby do not pay enough to offset the cost of childcare. Better paying jobs are “an hour and a half commute one way.” Though she’s happy to have received the money she says “it would probably have to be double to make, to make what we receive in income, plus the gift, be enough to carry us possibly month-to-month.”For Nikisha, the money alone was not enough to overcome lack of childcare, low-paying job options, or her geographic barriers. …Noelle
Noelle is a single mother living in Illinois. Throughout the program she experiences numerous setbacks – losing her job, her car needing expensive repairs, and a predatory lender situation – that make it hard for her to get ahead. Then two years into the program, Noelle starts experiencing serious medical symptoms. Her fingers went numb, then her feet, and eventually she lost the ability to walk. When she goes to the doctor they tell her they found spinal lesions. She had been working as a bartender but after this medical event was unable to work for four months. During this time, the $1,000 was the only thing keeping her afloat. The money provided her with a “cushion” to go to physical therapy and recover to the point where at the end of the program she’s able to work full-time again. “I would say I'm always making ends meet now. I'm never not because I'm working more and I'm feeling more, stable and confident.”“I'm living under a good roof, you know, with my son, he's taken care of. I have a good job. I have my vehicle and everything, so right now, thankfully things are going in an upward direction.” …Nora
Nora is an immigrant from Belarus. After dealing with the reality of her younger daughter's severe developmental disabilities, Covid lockdowns, her husbands’ job loss, and a foot fracture – that put her in crutches for weeks – she fell into a depression. She chose to invest the unconditional cash in her mental health and sought out a specialized psychologist – something that would not have been covered by her insurance.That opportunity changed her outlook, relationships, and sense of self. …Paloma
Paloma was a new mother. She had just had her daughter and they were homeless, moving from shelter to shelter. “I was just trying to, you know, find jobs and, you know, I was homeless. I had nowhere to go, no family basically helping me, so I was pretty much on my own. Uh, so, I had to just figure it out little by little, you know.” Constantly moving created challenges for employment as well as childcare. Often when they moved she wouldn’t be able to keep her job, and she would move away from childcare. She tells us, “It was really hard. It was complicated”.She was shocked when she got the call about the $1,000. She had just gotten an apartment with the help of a shelter. She would have liked to save the money but, “the money was used just to survive.” Paloma had a lot of ups and downs throughout the three years, moving multiple times, losing jobs, and an unplanned pregnancy that she made the difficult decision to place in adoption for financial reasons. Nevertheless, Paloma feels optimistic about the future. At the end of the program she has stable housing for her and her daughter, is going to school again, and has a job lined up. …Ramona
Ramona is a mother of four and a new grandmother to a baby girl. For Ramona, the $1,000 came at the perfect time. Her hours had just been cut at work and though she was able to make ends meet, she was having to dip into her savings. “I'm very thankful because the program came in handy when I needed it most. Like it was a blessing.” The money kept her from having to take on a second job so she’s able to spend more time with her kids, helping her daughter with homework, and having “a mommy and daughter day” on the weekends. Without the money she tells us, “I would've been at work probably more than what I normally would have been. Working two jobs and stuff, trying to balance it out and not enough time spending it with my loved ones.” By the time the program ends, her hours at work are almost back to where they were pre-covid. Before she got the $1,000 she tells us she used to get headaches and cry from so much stress, but now her stress is at a zero. “It's been a great experience and I know they're changing lives, they changed mine, so I can just imagine how many other people lives they're changing. And I'm glad for it.” …Sarah
Sarah is a stay-at-home mother, a homeschool teacher, and a volunteer at a food pantry in rural Illinois. When she became part of the unconditional cash study, she put that money towards her kids' orthodontia and a trip with her family to celebrate her daughter’s graduation. Now, Sarah has conflicting feelings about how that might play out if unconditional cash was implemented as policy. …Sydney
Sydney is a single woman living in Illinois. After graduating law school, Sydney was preparing to take the bar exam but it kept getting cancelled. During this time, she wasn’t able to use a scholarship she received to meet her basic needs. The $1,000 per month helped her make ends meet during this time. After, Sydney takes a job working at a non-profit. The job is lower-paying but she feels that she will be able to get good work experience in her field that will benefit her in the long run. She is able to take this lower-paying job because of the unconditional cash. Sydney knows she will have to leave the job when the $1,000 per month ends, however she believes she will be able to get a better paying job once she starts looking because her experience in this job has made her more employable. For Sydney, the $1,000 per month relieved work-related stress, giving her time to be more selective in where she works next. …Sylvia
Sylvia has been on her own since she was 16 years old. She’s used to struggling, she tells us, so living with a friend in an unsafe neighborhood run by a slumlord, scrambling to pay bills, is nothing new for her. She’s lived in shelters in the past, and her biggest goal at the start of the program was to avoid going back. “I don't like it. I done did it before and they have bed bugs.” When she started receiving the $1,000 per month she told us she “made sure I had somewhere over my head”. Her goal was to pay her rent and bills for a couple months, and to hopefully move to a better neighborhood. She was able to use the money to find a place to live on her own. However, Sylvia continued to struggle to find a job. Between her arthritis and back problems, not having a car, and having a criminal record, she wasn’t having any luck. “It’s just kind of hard, but it’s not like I’m not trying…Before I caught a background, I was able to find a job quick. But after I caught a background, nobody never calls me back.” Three years later Sylvia is still unemployed, without a car, and with the program now ending, she is back living with a friend. The cash increased her possibilities, and without it “I wouldn't have nowhere to live.” But for Sylvia, the cash does not take the place of a well-paying job. Sylvia took steps toward achieving her goals but needed more help overcoming her systemic barriers. …Tara
When Tara first started receiving the $1,000 per month, she is working a series of dead-end jobs. When she breaks her foot she finds herself out of work for a year. During the time, she decides to apply to an intense career development program. The program was 40 hours a week and included coursework and an internship. Tara is able to use the money she saved with the unconditional cash, as well as the consistent $1,000 payments, to pay her rent for the year while she pursues this career development opportunity. Tara does her internship at the headquarters of a Fortune 500 company. While there, she works hard to become involved and make a name for herself in the company and got a glowing recommendation from the supervisor at the training program. Tara was hired at the company and currently enjoys her work very much. Tara is now salaried, has benefits, and feels in a much better place financially. She says she was able to get away from dead-end jobs. "It's been a roller coaster, but right now I am on one of the highs — things are going great!” …Vanessa
Vanessa was a mother of two, with a set of twins on the way, just before the unconditional cash study started. To make ends meet, she was working seven days a week, often starting at 4am. Right after giving birth to her twins, she was back at work. When the unconditional cash started coming in once a month, she realized that she’d be able to reduce her work time and actually spend time with her children. Not only was she able to buy important essentials for her children, she also now had the time to help them with their reading and pre-K education. …Willa
Willa is a mother of two daughters, both of whom have high medical needs so Willa doesn’t trust others to provide childcare. She tells us about times her diabetic daughter has gone into diabetic shock while under someone else’s care. So Willa quit her job and now stays home with the girls. They live in a house with nine other people relying on her husband’s income and food stamps. At the start of the program, she tells us stress was a 9/10. “I initially started receiving payments—I don't remember exactly when the start date was. It was right after my father had passed away. Then that following December, after my father had passed in 2020, my little brother was in a fatal car accident, and him and another driver were pronounced dead on the scene. I then ended up having to pay for his funeral expenses. It was really rough. The last couple years have been really hard.”When she first learned of the $1,000 her primary goal was to “catch up on bills, so that we could eventually move”. By the end of the program she had achieved her goal. “We were able to catch up on all of our existing bills, and we were able to move. We were able to move, and we currently live in a three-bedroom townhouse. Each of our girls have their own rooms. It's just us, and we have our own space, so it's very nice.” Willa feels without the money they would not be in as nice of a place as they are now, with a new vehicle, and reduced stress. …Zoe
When the program started, Zoe was at a pivotal moment in her life. After a domestic dispute with her husband, her kids were taken into Child Protective Services (CPS). She was struggling with addiction and living with her grandparents in a neighborhood that exacerbated the problem. Then, Zoe used the money to move into a women’s sober house, and while there, was able to get her children back. Now, Zoe has a much better relationship with her husband and children. She is living with her family in a new state, in a place she describes as safe and spacious and closer to family support and good schools for her children. …Audio Anthology Executive Producer
Rebecca Sananès
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