Before the program, I felt like I was drowning. I worked my butt off, and I was barely making it.

I had come out of an unhealthy marriage, moved back to Washington to be closer to my family, got my degree. I was able to get a mortgage on a home. I felt like a very fortunate person, and everyone was telling me I was making the right choices. But I was putting my utility bills on a credit card pretty regularly. I was buying the cheap, cheap groceries. It was really defeating.

Where I felt it the most was always having to say no to my kids. They felt the strain of Mom doesn’t have enough money to do fun stuff. Every little outing, like the movies or the state fair — if you want to enjoy it, it’s a big expense. It takes money to participate in society, and you really get left out of a lot of things if you don’t have it.

I used the guaranteed income to pay down some credit-card bills. I buy a little bit more meat and prepared food items that help save time making dinner. I had a dead tree in my yard, and thank goodness I was able to pay to get it cut down. My neighbors came by and said, “Oh, your yard looks so nice.”

I gave my family one splurge. My nephew was getting married, and me and my boys got to stay at the same hotel with the rest of the family and enjoy the wedding.

By the end of the program, I had a few hundred dollars tucked away. It’s not a lot, but it’s a little bit of a lifeline. It reminds me: “Hey, we can get you through this.”

got the call that I’d been selected not long after my baby, Vera, was born. I almost dropped the phone. I was like, “There’s a catch, right?” And they’re like, “No. No strings attached.”

I was hit by a car toward the end of college, and I have issues with my heart and lungs to this day. I was just walking and the next thing I knew I was in a hospital bed and the doctors were telling me, “You were in a coma. You were done for.” When COVID-19 hit, I was a successful sports massage therapist, but I had to pause. My doctors were worried about my lungs. I had to be very cautious.

Vera is our miracle. My partner and I found out we were pregnant in late 2021. I knew it was going to be a big risk to have a kiddo given my health, but we really wanted to fight for it. We were under so much financial stress. I was on bed rest for the entire third trimester. We were down to one income, and it was just me and my boyfriend living in a $600-a-month studio and going to the food pantry.

When Vera was born, the guaranteed income sustained us. We used it for diapers and groceries. It was still COVID, so we couldn’t have a baby shower. When we moved to Minnesota, it helped us with the U-Haul.

As a postpartum mom, I really respected that the money came with “no strings attached.” Our baby girl was born prematurely by C-section, so my body took on more of a toll. I was able to get a massage for my muscle recovery, and then get my toenails done to actually feel like a woman again. If I’m the caregiver, how am I supposed to take care of another if I’m falling apart? I needed self-care so bad at that point.

n 2019, after close to a decade of teaching, I decided that the tenured professor lifestyle was not for me. I left to pursue a career as a full-time artist and writer.

The number one thing that artists need is time. If you’re spending your time chasing and hustling, cobbling together lots of different income streams, that’s less time for you to actually make the work.

I bring in about $52,000 a year. My wife, Natalie, and I live on 20 acres, and we’ve been tending to this property since 2017. I have a pretty tight budget. The guaranteed income allowed me to take risks with my artistic business. I rented gallery space in the Twin Cities for $400 per month to get more exposure for my artwork. That was only possible because I had a consistent source of funds coming in.

Partway through the program, the government unfroze repayments of student loans. I paid that $549.28 a month out of my main income. The $500 in guaranteed income was my buffer. When that happened, I couldn’t afford a whole wall at the gallery, so I downgraded to a shelf for $25 a month. I also used the money to help cover the cost of groceries when my food budget was depleted and to put gas in my tank.

The intangible part of guaranteed income was feeling like my work matters in my community, and feeling like I’m being supported to do this important creative work. I feel a little bit more confident that I can make it as an independent artist. And in September, the guaranteed income program was extended to five years from the original 18 months, so I may end up paying off my student loan debt. I wish all artists who are struggling to make a career from their work could experience this amazing gift.

efore the money came, I didn’t really have the opportunity to bond with my kids. I made $36,000 at most, working part-time for UPS and doing side jobs. I was always so busy working. I didn’t want my kids ever to feel like they had to wake up with the lights off or the water off — situations that I had growing up with a single mom. I wanted to change that generational cycle.

With the $500, I could relax. I paid at least two bills down to zero every month. With whatever was left, I could buy fresh food. I also used the money to make sure the Chromebook my daughter used for school was insured.

My family noticed I was happier. I was around more. One of the biggest things we did was go camping for the first time. When you get one-on-one time outside the house, it just broadens your experience with your kids. You get to know them a lot more. And now we go camping on the regular, because we all enjoy it.

I stopped looking at things like they were always problems and started looking at them as opportunities. I was able to get a job with better hours and better pay. It changed my mental health and the way I carried myself.

I had the opportunity to speak with Mayor Michael Tubbs on a panel about guaranteed income here in Stockton. My kids were watching me up on stage. After I was done, my son told me, “Dad, I want to do that.” At first, I didn't understand. Afterwards, he ran for student council and I got it. That was very impactful for me, to see my child see his father and be inspired.

gave birth to my son, Amelio, on Christmas Day 2023. I initially planned on going back to work after three months. After being approved for the guaranteed income program in January, I could afford to stay out for six months and be OK financially.

It had been a difficult couple of years. After my daughter passed away in 2020 at 10 months old, I fell into addiction really bad. I signed my three kids over to family members. I got sober in 2022 and was in treatment. At first, I only got visitation with my children. Then I had to adjust to having my kids back after not having them for two years.

My kids moved home with nothing. I used those first payments to buy diapers, groceries, new clothes, new bedding. I buy so much, and then they grow.

I try to put $100 or $200 to the side and not touch it. When my last vehicle started having mechanical problems, I used that savings to get a new vehicle for $5,000. So we’re starting over on our savings.

At the end of the month, I have that little bit of extra money to take my kids out. Last time, we went to the movies and saw “Inside Out 2.” My two oldest have birthdays a few days apart in May, and I used the money for a birthday party.

As a single mom, you have to do it all on your own. I feel like I’m very lucky to have this time at home with my children. I’m able to drive the three oldest to school every day. We stop for breakfast. I don’t have to rush like I do when I’m working. So we get more bonding time. I’m able to stop and pause in moments with my kids, to sit down and either correct their behavior or talk with them.

hen I got picked for the program, I remember feeling so relieved and thinking: I’m going to be OK for two years. But it’s been so much more than that. Being part of this program made me want to get up and do something.

When it started, I was in a horrible place in my life. I’d spend the whole day doing deliveries for Gopuff. I was basically working for tips since I got paid $3 per order. A lot of the time I wasn't even eating. I was falling behind on my rent and my truck payments. A lot of my struggles with anxiety and depression came from concerns about providing for my children and myself.

The guaranteed income helped me keep up with my bills. I left a domestic violence relationship that was just horrible. I could buy my children things I couldn’t get before, like a pair of shoes or hair products. Being able to get whatever you or your children want to eat for dinner, that’s a luxury to me.

I knew that extra income wasn’t going to be there forever. That motivated me. It got me out of my comfort zone. I went back to school, and I graduated with my bachelor's degree in business from Strayer University. I just started my master’s in October.

I quit Gopuff and I’m now a grant coordinator at Araminta, which works to stop child sex trafficking. I’m a survivor myself, and it’s something I’m very passionate about. I also started my own program called Rise and Thrive to help human trafficking survivors learn to be entrepreneurs. One day it might turn into my own nonprofit.

My last guaranteed income check came in July. Everything really turned out well. I’m caught up on all my payments this year. The program changed my life in more ways than the providers could ever imagine.

y husband and I have our own home, and in June we made our last payment on the 10-year mortgage. But ever since COVID, things weren’t so great financially. My husband ended up going part time. My paycheck is $1,200 a month, and everything has been going up. I used to spend $100 a week on groceries, but now it seems more like $200. I was on a program for our power bill where they lower the total you pay and your electricity doesn’t get shut off.

I knew I was going on maternity leave for 12 weeks, so I was trying to save a little bit here and there. With the guaranteed income, I paid bills that were past due. I got my car fixed. It was about to be winter here, and I’d been thinking, How am I going to get new tires? I also spent money on my baby. Just the necessary items like diapers, and I ended up getting him a car seat and a stroller.

My two older boys really love sports, so I make sure they get what they need. My oldest son, who’s 13, is on the basketball team and getting into baseball. My 7-year-old is into basketball. You need a certain type of shoes for different sports.

I always put myself last, so the one thing I got for myself was a haircut. I’m trying to save some of the money so my kids will have something when they’re older. Like hopefully for college, or money they could use for their future.

I wish the payments would last a little bit longer. This program helps women who are struggling to make ends meet. Sometimes, you’re so drained with bills that it’s hard to catch up.

hat extra $500 came right on time.

I was in the process of moving from my cousin’s house to a new place. The rent was $1,200, and the security deposit was $1,200. I asked my fiancée to move in with me, so we could share rent together and be a team. But as we were getting ready to move, she got injured. She hurt her back, and her job took her out of work for a while. I’m thinking, How am I going to get this security deposit?

A very special angel came through for me: Just before the move, I heard I got the guaranteed income. It helped me tremendously. And it helped with my fiancée’s medical bills that she had to pay out of pocket.

I’ve been working in the medical field for years. I’m gonna say I bring in $24,000 a year. With guaranteed income, it helps you to feel more confident, because every 15th of the month that $500 is going to hit your account. I was able to eat out more, for sure, and do little outings, like go to the movies or a concert — enjoy a little bit of comfort. If my mom, who’s 79 years old, or my sister ran short of groceries, I could help them out.

When you're stuck without money and you're trying to figure out how you're going to pay for this and that, it gets frustrating. That extra $500 is awesome. It gave me a big cushion for 12 months. I wish it would continue for another 12 months. Now I’m so used to it, I’ve got to get another job. I think that’s the push it gives people.

I proposed to my fiancée last year on Valentine’s Day. I’m saving and I want to give her a nice little ring right before Christmas. I want to do something wonderful for a beautiful lady I love, something I wasn’t able to get before.