Unconditional Cash Study
• 07.18.2024
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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. …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. …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. …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. …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. …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.” …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. …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. …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. …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. …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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