Item 3- UpTogether presentation — original pdf

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City of Austin Early Childhood Council Budget Input Presentation January 2025 UpTogether is working to change systems that perpetuate poverty. Together, with our members, partners, and community organizations, we: ● Invest in families and individuals experiencing financial hardship; and ● Amplify stories and data to show the impact of investing in people and provide evidence that it works Capital People must have access to sufficient capital to invest in their own lives. Community People benefit from the power of community and naturally and routinely exchange social capital to support one another. Choice People are experts in their own lives and must have full choice and control over their time and resources. Work to Date in Austin Austin Site Launch With support from St. David’s Foundation, Google, and MSDF, we launched our site in Austin to invest in 380 inaugural members. Central TX 12-Month Pilot We launched the Central Texas 12- Month Pilot, investing in 173 households (163 in Austin and 10 in Georgetown) with $1,000 per month for 12 months. St. David’s Foundation and other local philanthropic partners funded the pilot, while the City of Austin signed on as a learning partner . Family Stabilization Grants In August 2023, the City of Austin allocated $1.3M towards the Family Stabilization Grants to provide more families with $1,000/month for 12 months. 2020 2022 2024 2018 2021 2023 COVID-19 Relief Efforts City of Austin Pilot Together with local philanthropy, the City of Austin Equity Office, City of Austin Innovation Office, and Austin Public Health, UpTogether invested $14.4M directly in 7,490 Central Texas households most impacted by COVID- 19 ($500 to $2,000/household). In May 2022, the City of Austin approved a $1.18 million guaranteed income pilot with UpTogether using general funds. In partnership with the Equity Office and St. David’s Foundation, we are investing in 135 households with $1,000/month for 12 months. Family Stabilization Grants - Continued In August 2024, the City of Austin again allocated $1.3M towards continuing Family Stabilization Grants in the 2024 - 25 year. Connect Our signature online platform where members gain access to opportunities for unrestricted cash transfers, surveys, social groups and more. Through UpTogether Connect , we: ● Lea rn w it h members , ● Inves t in t hem, a nd ● Support t hem in ma king connect ions w it h ot hers . 5 Impact Measurement ● Housing stability ● Food security ● Mental health ● Financial well - being ● Education ● Employment ● Business ● Financials: income, savings and debt ● Family and childcare ● Social capital exchanges ● Community involvement 6 Impact of Direct Cash on Children 1 Demonstration Phase 2 San Antonio & Cincinnati ● 88% of families reported their students to have excellent, good, or improved grades ● 94% reported their students to have excellent, good, or improved attendance 3 Guaranteed Income Pilot Program for Immigrant Families in New Mexico Percentage of members reporting their child was on track to complete their grade level and graduate increased by 9%. ● 71% of children able to make progress towards educational achievements with online learning when their families received $2,000 during COVID- 19 pandemic. ● 57% maintained or improved academic outcomes at end of study compared to start of remote learning. 4 Colorado Springs “My children were able to have school supplies and I was able to buy them new shoes and take them out to do things that we normally wouldn’t have been able to do without the money.” • • • • Austin Family Stabilization Grant Fund 168 hous eholds experiencing hous ing ha rds hip Receiving $1,000/ mont h x 12 mont hs Pa rt ners hip w it h t he Cit y of Aus t in, St . Da vid’s Founda t ion, ot her loca l funders , a nd communit y orga niza t ions like GAVA, t o implement a one- yea r direct ca s h init ia t ive for Aus t in fa milies . Focus ed on fa milies in Tra vis Count y a t or below 8 0% MFI, fa cing economic ha rds hip s uch a s hous ing ins ecurit y, ina bilit y t o a fford qua lit y childca re, un/ under employment , or la cking a cces s t o a fforda ble, qua lit y hea lt hca re. Austin Family Stabilization Grant Fund Learning - UpTogether will deploy optional baseline, mid - point, and final surveys to all participants to learn about how families use investments to progress towards their goals. - With feedback from the City of Austin, we will learn about the role of cash and community in alignment with the Economic Development Department’s indicators of: - Workforce development - Access to City/County programs and resources - - Housing - Early childhood services Food security Past Learnings: Austin Guaranteed Income Pilot Overview of Austin Guaranteed Income Pilot Se p t e m b e r 20 22 - Au g u s t 20 23 ● Community: Recognize and learn about how families support one another and use their social networks to achieve their goals ● Capital: Investing $12,000 in 135 families over 12 months ($1,000/month), understanding and uplifting the impact families create through this investment ● Choice: Learn about families’ goals and choices around housing and how they utilize unrestricted investment to achieve these goals Adoption of Strength Approach: -Based ● Utilize learnings about the impact families create through community, including social networks and mutual assistance, and with unrestricted capital investment, with a focus on the impact on housing stabilization Eligibility Criteria ● Live within the City of Austin and Travis County limits; ● Have a household income that is at or below 60% of the Area Median Family Income; ● Did not receive funding through UpTogether’s previous 12 - month pilot from March 2021 - March 2022; and ● Meet at least one of the following: ○ Moving from homelessness toward permanent housing; ○ Have a filed eviction; ○ Household has been behind on rent for 2 or more months over the past year; and/or ○ Household has received a verbal or written notice of intent to evict OR a threat to vacate by landlord or property manager at any time within the past 3 months due to nonpayment of rent. Research Methods • Surveys • Enrollment Form • Interviews • Baseline, Six- month, 1 Year, 18 months • Participant (20 – Twice for 5 participants) • Stakeholders (~10) • Policymakers (~15) 13 Outcomes Key Learnings at 18 Months ● Median income increased six months after the pilot ● No significant change in employment status or ● Pilot participants made substantial gains in housing hours stability ● Pilot participants made large gains in food security ● Participants are less depressed overall, though some had increased anxiety Janelle’s Story • Black mother with 2 children, a preschooler and a second grader with special needs. • At pilot start, she was doing temp work nearly full time. The work was flexible enough to meet her children’s immediate needs, but the income barely covered her basic costs. She described the monthly stipend as a lifeline—a chance to breathe and work toward longer-term goals. • During pilot, she partially reduced hours to work with her children’s teachers, take training to be a leasing agent, and make more job contacts through modest volunteering. • Today Janelle is a full-time leasing agent (with flexible hours) making $2000 per month more than when pilot began. Her special needs child is in a better school. 16 ‘The cash is very, very helpful for my family. We are struggling with daily life. We don’t have extra for next week, extra for tomorrow. The money cash program [gives more time for me to educate] my children. Then in daily life, I use it to buy enough food and to pay rent. I am not worried so much about being able to pay rent next month.’ —Program participant 17 Feedback for 2025 -26 Budget ● At least $1.3 million towards Family Stabilization Grants in the 2025- 26 budget. ● Ideally would like this to be permanent allocation to safeguard this initiative in future years. ● Also hope to increase this to $3 million as we know community need in Austin continues to grow.