LOCAL STORY MARK DONOVAN OF THE DENVER BASIC INCOME PROJECT SPEAKS AT A RALLY TO SUPPORT BASIC INCOME IN 2023. CREDIT: ARMANDO GENEYRO/DENVER BASIC INCOME PROJECT IT’S BASIC: DENVER BASIC INCOME PROJECT’S MARK DONOVAN TALKS 2024 AND BEYOND BY ROBERT DAVIS IT’S BEEN A LITTLE MORE THAN 18 MONTHS since Mark Donovan launched the Denver Basic Income Project, a pilot program designed to help individuals experiencing homelessness address their basic needs, like accessing housing or medical care. Over that time, the program has delivered impressive results. People enrolled in the program reported feeling more hope about the future and less stress about their financial situation. Moreover, roughly 35% of all participants moved into housing within the first six months of the program, according to DBIP’s interim report. These successes are happening at a time when more than 30 cities, ranging from Atlanta, Georgia to Ithaca, New York, and New Orleans, Louisiana, are piloting their own basic income programs to address poverty and homelessness at the local level. More than two-thirds of the income gained from these programs has been spent on food and clothing, according to data from Stanford University’s Basic Income Lab. For comparison, less than 2% of the income has been spent on things like alcohol and drugs. “I hope that in five years, what we’re doing in Denver is happening in at least 200 cities across the country, so people can have proximity to it, so that they can see it in their own backyards,” Donovan said. Despite these successes, Donovan said there is still a lot of work to do to make basic income programs part of the mainstream. According to Donovan, there are still misconceptions about basic income, especially concerning how participants spend their money. Donovan said he also faces objections over whether the program is a good use of tax dollars. But these objections haven’t stopped Donovan or his small but mighty staff from working to expand the project. MARK DONOVAN OF THE DENVER BASIC INCOME PROJECT AT A STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP NEXT TO PARTICIPANT MORIAH RODRIGUEZ. CREDIT: ARMANDO GENEYRO/DENVER BASIC INCOME PROJECT “We’re building a playbook to share with other cities,” Donovan said. “We didn’t reinvent the wheel because we built on the successes of other programs like New Leaf and Michael Tubbs’ program in Stockton. But we want to build a playbook that shows how we got here and then support other cities as they stand up their own basic income pilots.” Denver VOICE spoke with Donovan about what he’s learned over the last year of operating the Denver Basic Income Project and where he thinks the program will go in 2024 and beyond. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. DENVER VOICE: DBIP has already accomplished so much. You’ve distributed nearly $7 million to more than 800 people experiencing homelessness in Denver, and those payments have been proven to reduce the number of days people spend on the streets, in hospitals, and in jail. Tell us a little about your goals for DBIP in 2024 and beyond. What else is left to do? DONOVAN: We had an amazing first year and have seen people accelerating towards safety, housing, and wellness. I’ve talked to people who said [if it weren’t for DBIP] they wouldn’t be alive at this point. Now, they’ve re-enrolled in school or they got a great job. Everyone’s path is different, but we’ve created a really strong community that has hope and optimism about the future. 6 DENVER VOICE April 2024
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