Baltimore guaranteed income program participants thrive thanks to outreach services, financial assistance, and new connections
Author: Nicole Rothstein
What would happen if we trusted young parents living in poverty with money that they could spend however they saw fit for their families?
This question inspired the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success to launch a guaranteed income (GI) pilot project – the Baltimore Young Families Success Fund (BYFSF). The pilot project, in partnership with BYFSF, was administered by The CASH Campaign of Maryland (CASH), with technical assistance provided by Mayors for a Guaranteed Income.
The results of the Baltimore GI program have been remarkable. This is the first in a series of articles featuring a selection of inspiring stories from program participants.
Before she found Baltimore’s GI program, Tazhane Jordan – the mother of a blended family with four children – was pregnant, homeless, and uncertain about how she would support her family. Today, Tazhane is in nursing school, her family is living in their own home, and she feels hopeful for the first time in a long time.
Tazhane shares her journey throughout the program, how it has impacted her life, and what her future looks like now that the program has ended.
Empowering families with no-strings-attached assistance
To support people like Tazhane across the City of Baltimore, Mayor Brandon M. Scott launched Baltimore’s pilot in August 2022. The project, administered by CASH, gave 200 young families cash payments of $1,000 monthly for 24 months. Recipients received their last payment in July 2024.
The Baltimore GI program was created to address income inequality and the economic fallout from the pandemic for some of the city’s hardest-hit residents. The program was intended to supplement – not replace – existing social services. A defining feature of the program is that the funds were unconditional. Instead of having parameters and rules tied to the monthly deposits, the money could be used in any way participants saw fit for their families.
“This is a really critical component of the program,” explains Tonaeya Moore, Director of Policy at CASH. “We wanted to instill a feeling of trust in the participants and empower them to use the funds to address their needs in whatever ways they deemed beneficial to their families.”
For people who might be skeptical of such an offer, this no-strings-attached assistance sounded like it could have the makings of a hoax.
“At first I didn’t think it was legit,” Tazhane recalls. “I kept thinking that there’s no way these people are real. Why would anyone give me $1,000 just for doing what I’m already doing?”
But when Tazhane received her first payment, she knew her life would be impacted for the better – and not just because of the added money in her pocket.
“It was suddenly like this feeling of being included, of being important,” she explains. “It really was no strings attached. I could use the money to take my kids on a trip if I wanted to. I didn’t necessarily have to use it to pay a bill. I got to decide how I would use the funds and that felt great.”
A financial boost when it was needed most
For a growing family struggling to make ends meet, an extra $1,000 a month was a much-needed boost to get back on track. At the time Tazhane entered the guaranteed income program, she says she was barely getting by.
“When the program started, I was young and on my own for the first time,” says Tazhane. “I had a job but it didn’t pay what it took to live in this economy.”
It was the guaranteed income funds that kept Tazhane and her family afloat. Without that steady money, she says they couldn’t have afforded many of the things they were able to enjoy over the last two years – including leasing her first vehicle.
“I leased the first car that I ever had with the help of the program,” Tazhane explains. “When we were between housing, that car kept us warm and we slept in it. I wouldn’t have been able to pay for it or keep a job without those funds to help me.”
Comprehensive outreach services for long-term success
The Baltimore GI program is among dozens of guaranteed income programs nationwide designed to provide recipients with steady, predictable income. What sets it apart is the degree of wide-ranging outreach services and personalized support that the City of Baltimore and CASH integrated throughout the program.
Opportunities such as Family Days, Book Club, financial education, banking assistance, childcare support, benefits counseling, eviction-prevention resources, and mental health support are just a handful of the services offered to a segment of the Baltimore City participants.
Before the pilot began, many participants reported struggling with things like affording day-to-day essentials, the rising cost of housing, and a lack of access to childcare. Program administrators recognize that $1,000 a month can’t solve every problem, which is why supplemental outreach resources are vital to long-term success for participating families.
“Money alone can’t fix the issues we see here in Baltimore,” Tonaeya explains. “At CASH, we say it’s money plus additional support. So it’s money plus access to benefits. It’s money plus connecting people to elected officials and policies. It’s money plus access to mental health resources. It’s money plus financial education. That’s why it was so important that these additional services were available throughout the program and still are today.”
A lifeline for overcoming parenting challenges
The added opportunities and support were a welcome lifeline in some of the areas within which Tazhane struggled most. With four young children – including one with autism – she appreciated that CASH created valuable experiences inclusive of the whole family.
“Everything was family-oriented,” she says. “I was so grateful to know that we were all welcome; the opportunities weren’t just tailored to one type of person.”
As part of the program’s “Family Days,” participating families were invited to brunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and a visit to Baltimore’s National Aquarium. They were also gifted with family photo sessions – which some recipients said was the first time they’d had professional pictures taken of their families.
When many participants expressed an interest in reading, the CASH team was inspired to organize a book club – an experience Tazhane says led her to feel the best she’s ever felt about herself as a mother to a child with special needs.
The group of moms who joined Book Club read “Planted in Good Soil,” written by Michelle J. Johnson. It’s a story about a young mother’s journey through the landscapes of heartbreak, young adulthood, and the transformative role of motherhood. What ended up being a surprise to participants – and even to program administrators – was that each of the moms who joined the book club also had children with disabilities or who were on the autism spectrum. Book club became a place where the moms could connect and support each other, through what they believed was a unique and isolating experience.
For Tazhane, it was a life-changing experience to spend time in a judgment-free space with other mothers facing similar challenges. The resources, connections, and confidence she gained from the experience were invaluable.
“Before the program, I didn’t know there was a whole world of other people with kids just like mine,” she says. “I was confused and destroyed about the condition of my child. I would stay inside out of fear and embarrassment. When I got to see other people with kids just like mine, I was afforded the ability to adapt and blend into the community around me without feeling like I was a burden.”
“They really are family.”
Members of the CASH team continue to foster connections with program participants even now that the project has ended. Everything they do – from counseling and group activities to personal phone calls and home visits – is with the intention of building relationships and trust.
“The CASH team is wonderful,” says Tazhane. “There are days or times where it’s well beyond office hours. But if I call them with a problem or I just need someone to talk to, they are always there. They have been people I can lean on and a shoulder to cry on for the past two years without any conditions. They really are family.”
As the main point of contact for program participants, Jordan Holden, Policy Associate at CASH, has watched Tazhane and her family grow and flourish over the last two years.
“I’m just really excited for Tazhane as she’s coming into her own and understanding her power,” Jordan says. “She inspires others because she balances caring for herself with providing for her family and building a safe space for her children. We are all really proud of her and can’t wait to see where she goes from here.”
Building a better life and stronger future
Now, three months after the GI pilot ended, the CASH team has received valuable feedback about the program’s impact. Participants have expressed an ability to better provide for their families, prioritize self-care, advance their education, establish savings accounts for their children, and make plans for the future.
“People say we’ve given them a toolbox for sustaining themselves and their families,” Jordan explains. “They now have the resources to be advocates for themselves, make positive changes, and establish the footing they need for the future. It really comes down to confidence building and affirming to them that they can do it.”
For Tazhane and her family, the difference that some much-needed outreach services, reliable income, and trust can make is incredible.
“I look back before the program and I was a pregnant mother, homeless, living place to place just trying to get by doing the daily thing,” Tazhane recalls.
Now she is a Certified Medical Technician (CMT) studying to be a nurse practitioner. Tazhane recently moved into a house on five acres of land with her fiance and their four children, who are now 11, 8, 7, and 1.5 years old.
“Every day I am laying the foundation – taking even the little steps needed to provide for my children as I work toward my big goals,” Tazhane says. “I’m working to better my life and for my kids to be able to grow up how I want them to grow up.”
Significant shifts in her finances, career, and parenting have also created a positive change within herself. She credits her participation in the program and her relationships with the CASH Campaign of Maryland team for inspiring this transformation.
“It’s not always easy growing up here – you lose fundamental elements of yourself,” Tazhane says. “Being part of this program has allowed me to be my own person – to take back my independence and become everything I was supposed to be.”
“I’m a lot more open to situations and things going on around me,” she adds. “I am more optimistic about my own situation. I used to look at things as the glass being half empty. Thanks to this experience, for the first time I now see the glass as half full.”
Visit the CASH Campaign of Maryland blog to read additional stories about Baltimore’s Guaranteed Income Pilot Program.