IN YOUR OWN WORDS What’s left to do is change people’s perceptions about basic income. A lot of people don’t understand it or don’t think it’s a good idea. So, we want to share our success stories and explain that basic income leads to safer, more thriving communities for everyone. It’s a win-win. We also want to expand our reach. Even though we’ve served more than 800 people, that’s a small sliver of the need here in Denver. We need to keep trusting and investing in people. When we do that, the results are exceptional. Are there any personal stories or experiences with participants from DBIP that stick out to you? There are numerous people [who] have told us that they are alive today or sober because of the Denver Basic Income Project and that they feel hope for the future. There was a woman who was fleeing domestic violence who applied and was put into our control group (meaning she received $50 per month). Of course, she was disappointed, but after she engaged with our service partners, she was put into a sober living home. She later came back and asked for help finding employment. Now she works at a job where she makes more money than the case manager who helped her. These kinds of stories are endless. What challenges have you run into while operating DBIP? How have you worked to overcome or solve those problems? The biggest challenge has been public perception. We haven’t had a groundswell of grassroots support and people donating to support this work. So, we have really worked hard to push back against those perceptions of poverty. The beauty of basic income is that it is simple. It’s a simple and efficient way to provide immediate relief and opportunity. We think of it as a preventative medicine for the economy, and cash as the currency of urgency. It’s a simple concept, but the difficult part is getting people to understand it, to believe in it, and to invest their tax dollars in it. Basic income is for everybody, and everybody’s lives improve when we create a more equitable and thriving economy. As you know, April is National Fair Housing Month. Can you tell us a little about how basic income programs like DBIP can improve fair housing outcomes for people in poverty or who are experiencing homelessness? Discrimination was built into our housing system, and so we built the Denver Basic Income Project through a racial equity lens. Our Black neighbors comprise about 10% of the city’s population yet account for between 20% and 25% of the people experiencing homelessness. We want to accelerate their pathways to housing. That is housing justice. Full stop. Why do you think it’s important for Denver, or any other city, to have a basic income program? We are the largest program in the country that is exploring the impact of basic income. I was just at a conference in San Francisco, and I got the sense that people across the country are watching us. Everyone is working on solutions to homelessness, and they’re spending a lot of money to do it. Are things getting better? In some places, they are, but the results haven’t materialized in a lot of other places. We’re also not investing in the programs that work the best. So, it’s important for Denver to invest in basic income because it works and we need to provide immediate relief for people who are suffering and sleeping on the streets. We’re trying to show the country what happens when you believe in people and invest in them. ■ LEAVE AND BECOME YOU AN ILLUSTRATION BY GIGI GALEN, VOICE VENDOR April 2024 DENVER VOICE 7
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