Austin guaranteed income program helps single mom finish college degree
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As guaranteed income advocates push for pilot programs to be expanded to include permanent government-backed cash assistance, one recipient spoke to Fox News Digital about the benefits of the policy.
Austin, Texas native Taniquewa Brewster was financially supported by the city’s guaranteed income program during a critical transition in her life as she juggled parenthood, long work hours, and the hope of completing certification programs.
“It helped me get started; it gave me time to take care of the things I needed to take care of. It’s hard when you work 40 hours a week and you have five kids,” Brewster told Fox News Digital. “I have five children and I try to find time to do other things, fight for these basic human rights. I didn’t have a car at the time. I was driving my sister’s car. She got me from point A to point B, made doctor appointments, helped, looked after, took care of my children.”
NEWLY LAUNCHED COALITION WITH ‘ADAPTABILITY AGENDA’ SAYS TO ATTACK GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAMS
Austin, Texas native Taniquewa Brewster was financially supported by the city’s guaranteed income program during a critical transition in her life as she juggled parenthood, long work hours, and the hope of finishing her college degree. (Taniquewa Brewster)
Fortunately, Brewster was told about Austin’s guaranteed income pilot program.
“There are a lot of people who will enter the lottery, so there is no guarantee that you will be selected,” Brewster said. “I got a call and they said, you’ve been selected for the guaranteed income pilot program. You’ll get $1,000 for a year… there’s no oversight, so what you do with that money is up to you.”
The state capital became the first major city in Texas to use tax dollars to fund guaranteed income programs to help low-income families after the Austin City Council introduced the measure in 2022. The program was facilitated by the city “in partnership with an organization calledUpTogetheradvocating “government and philanthropy” to “provide unlimited and unconditional cash to communities”
Guaranteed income program received $1.1 million in taxpayer funding, with an additional $500,000 raised from charitable donations for the program. The program began distributing $1,000 monthly checks to 85 households at risk of losing their homes.
“I had lost my job. We were at the height of COVID,” Brewster told Fox News Digital. “This thousand dollars came at just the right time and helped me in so many ways in so many ways. And so now I’m fully engaged.”
MAYORS WORKING FOR GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAMS CONDEMN THE ABOLISHMENT OF FEDERAL AID PROGRAMS
city of austin Its website notes that guaranteed income programs “serve as a springboard for participants to find a path out of poverty, toward greater economic mobility and housing stability.”
As guaranteed income advocates push for pilot programs to be expanded to include permanent government-backed cash assistance, one recipient spoke to Fox News Digital about the benefits of the policy. (Ozan Köse/AFP via Getty Images)
“I was able to go back to school, complete my education. I became a certified rental assistant and a certified doula,” she added.
Brewster said many people in her community were in a similar situation to her before enrolling in the program. She described living in an “underserved, low-income, marginalized neighborhood” affected by “gentrification.”
“A lot of people were on fixed incomes. We just needed resources,” Brewster told Fox News Digital. “We’ve been underserved for so long. And it helped us realize that we deserve some things… This money really helped me make the choices I needed to make to grow. And I saw the growth that came from being a part of the guaranteed income program.”
TO GUARANTEE INCOME, MAYORS ARE TRYING TO SOLVE THE ELIGIBILITY CRISIS WITH THE HELP OF UNACCEPTABLE CASH
The state capital became the first major city in Texas to use tax dollars to fund “guaranteed income” programs to help low-income families after the Austin City Council introduced the measure in 2022. The program was facilitated by the city “in partnership with an organization calledUpTogetheradvocating “government and philanthropy” to “provide unlimited and unconditional cash to communities” (iStock)
Harris County, which includes Houston, Texas, had its own guaranteed income program in 2024, which was sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The Texas Supreme Court issued an order freezing the program.
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