July 15, 2024
Michael Berger and Ashley Ezzio, UpLift's Project Coordinators
Thirty-six percent of households in Iowa cannot afford to meet their basic needs, according to a recent report released by United Ways of Iowa in partnership with United for ALICE.
That’s 459,444 households that struggle to pay their rent, buy groceries, or afford childcare—who aren’t able to fully participate in society because they’re just trying to figure out how to survive.
UpLift - The Central Iowa Basic Income Pilot is dedicated to finding solutions to eradicate poverty in Iowa so that every Iowan has the opportunity to prosper. The pilot research study provides a $500 monthly stipend to each of the 110 participants to see how a basic income program improves the lives of Iowans. The study also follows an additional 140 participants as a control group.
The first year of the study has shown that a basic income can build a more inclusive economy. Participants have built their own businesses, fixed their cars to have reliable transportation, enrolled their children in more extracurricular activities, and many other things that allowed them to participate more fully in their communities.
Not only that, but an even broader conversation has developed. Communities in central Iowa are discussing the complex, layered ways poverty infiltrates society. All of this is leading to the development of innovative solutions to help ensure every person can fulfill their basic needs, and beyond.
CultureALL is partnering with UpLift on an Open Book project, inviting community members to gather to discuss how poverty is affecting folks in central Iowa. Understanding the causes is key to finding the solutions, and the conversation will help create a bigger picture that will hopefully one day create policy that will remove barriers to financial freedom for all.
UpLift began with one question in mind:
How would a guaranteed basic income for 24 months impact the health, well-bein, and civic engagement of Iowans struggling with poverty?
More than 150 basic income pilots are currently in operation around the country. UpLift is the first to occur in Iowa, providing crucial data for how a program might specifically operate in our state.
From the beginning, broad support around the Des Moines metro from multiple sectors showed unified support for combating poverty in our community. Mid-Iowa Health Foundation’s President and CEO, Dr. Nalo Johnson, spearheaded the fundraising efforts. Eleven entities, including businesses and local governments, joined the coalition of funders.
“It’s a testament to our need for that cross-sector collaboration to happen to make this work impactful,” said Project Coordinator Michael Berger.
Other support came from organizations that provide services to low-income people in Central Iowa. These organizations passed on the information to eligible participants.
The combined effort ultimately resulted in over 6,000 applications for the project. They put no limitations on how participants could spend the money. After one year, they’ve seen positive results.
“These people are running with it,” Michael said. “They’re starting their own businesses. They’re investing in their own education. They’re putting it towards their children and their families. It’s inspiring.”
It’s this capability to drastically change lives that Michael and his fellow project coordinator Ashley Ezzio hope they can take to policymakers, service providers, and the general community.
“We’re hoping to make lasting change through policy in how we support everyone in our community,” Ashley said. “We’re hoping to inspire someone to think about how they’re providing care to folks and consider if it’s truly the most efficient and respectful way.”
One research study cannot combat the way poverty seeps into the fabric of individual lives and communities.
Ashley and Michael are utilizing storytelling to humanize the data and help people understand what poverty in their community truly means.
“There is a long history and tradition of how society portrays people who are living in poverty or are struggling, blaming individual decisions and choices for why they are there,” Michael said. “We realized we needed to generate a broader conversation about poverty and the root causes.”
UpLift is partnering with CultureALL and Des Moines Public Library to host a storytelling event on July 20th at the Central Library. Three Open Book storytellers who have experienced housing insecurity and other poverty-related issues will share their stories.
Although the storytellers are not part of the UpLift pilot program, Ashley said the Open Books are representative of the 6,000 people who applied to participate in the study.
“Every person has a voice in saying, ‘here’s what’s working in our community and here’s what’s not.’ That’s a really important conversation to have when we’re looking at solution-oriented decisions for eliminating poverty.”
In their conversations with the community about poverty and basic income, Ashley and Michael have continued to hear stereotypes and misconceptions about the type of person or family that becomes low-income. They hope that the more community members can connect in person to folks experiencing these issues, the more they’ll understand that poverty is not a moral failing.
“We are all susceptible to poverty. We’re all one injury, accident, or traumatic thing away from needing the social safety net,” Ashley said.
The data from the study, paired with a more holistic understanding of the causes and effects of poverty, can lead to a stronger community support system that benefits all.
“It’s easy to have a perception of a person; but when we sit down with someone and humanize their story and their struggles, we can find common connections and rethink how we label people or communities,” Ashley said. “Every person has a unique perspective that is so crucial to share. We want to create a broader narrative that we can bring to decision-makers and say, ‘Here’s what your community said.’”
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