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OKAY, SO WE OFFICIALLY HAVE QUORUM.
I JUST WANNA NOTE THAT CO-CHAIR MCGOVERN WILL BE UNABLE TO MAKE TODAY'S MEETING DUE TO PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
UM, WOULD LOVE TO GO AHEAD AND START OFF.
I'M GOING TO CALL TODAY'S HUMAN SERVICE AND VETERANS COMMITTEE MEETING TO ORDER.
THE CALL OF TODAY'S MEETING IS TO REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE FINAL RESEARCH REPORT ON RISE UP CAMBRIDGE.
THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS A ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS PRESENT.
PRESENT, COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN IS ABSENT, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS.
PRESENT, COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER.
THAT'S FOUR MEMBERS PRESENT, ONE RECORDED AS ABSENT.
PURSUANT TO CHAPTER TWO OF THE ACTS OF 2025, ADOPTED BY MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL COURT AND APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR, THE CITY IS AUTHORIZED TO USE REMOTE PARTICIPATION AT MEETINGS OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL AND ITS COMMITTEES.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDS THIS MEETING AND MAKES IT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC FOR FUTURE VIEWING.
THIRD PARTIES MAY ALSO BE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDING THIS MEETING.
IN ADDITION TO HAVING MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL PARTICIPATE REMOTELY, WE ALSO HAVE SET UP ZOOM TELECONFERENCE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE VISIT THE CITY COUNCIL'S SECTION OF THE CITY'S WEBPAGE.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOW TO SIGN UP TO SPEAKER POSTED THERE.
ONCE YOU HAVE COMPLETED SIGNUP PROCEDURE, YOU'LL RECEIVE A LINK TO THE ZOOM MEETING.
TO WATCH THE MEETING, PLEASE TUNE INTO CHANNEL 22 OR VISIT THE OPEN MEETING PORTAL ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE.
WITH THAT, ALL OF TODAY'S VOTES, IF ANY, WILL BE BY ROLL CALL FOR THE SAKE OF TIME.
UM, MAYBE WE CAN DO A QUICK ROUND OF NAMES AND THEN I'LL GO AHEAD AND QUICKLY SAY ONE OR TWO SENTENCES ON RISE UP.
AND THEN, UM, WE WILL TURN TO THE STAFF PRESENTATION.
SO MAYBE WE CAN START HERE ON THE RIGHT.
SIKI MAYOR, CYNTHIA SHELTON HARRIS, DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN SERVICES.
NOT A MEMBER OF THIS COMMITTEE, SO THAT'S WHY I WASN'T TALKING BEFORE.
ALLISON KRONER BARON WITH CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF? UH, ELIZABETH PATTON, CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, AND THEN OUR FOLKS ONLINE.
I'M TIM FLAHERTY, I'M THE CITY COUNSELOR CHIEF AND SABRINA WHEELER, ALSO CITY COUNSELOR.
UH, I'M MINA ADO WITH MDRC, ONE OF THE RESEARCHERS.
HI, I'M KATERINA GAULKIN, ALSO WITH MDRC, MADAM.
BRIEF AND WANNA JUST RECOGNIZE MAYOR SIDIKI, WHO HAS BEEN ONE OF THE LEADERS ON THIS WORK.
UM, RISE UP WAS A CASH ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THAT AIMED TO PROMOTE ECONOMIC STABILITY AND THE CITY HAD PARTNERED WITH THE CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AND THE CAMBRIDGE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE.
AND IN THIS HEARING, WE'LL BE LEARNING ABOUT THE EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM AND JUST WANNA APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE PUT INTO THIS.
SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND TURN THE FLOOR TO CITY STAFF.
I'M GTA PHAN, PRESIDENT OF THE CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE FINDINGS OF THE RISE UP CAMBRIDGE CASH ASSISTANCE PROGRAM EVALUATION.
AND I ALSO WANT TO EXTEND OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO THE ENORMOUS INVESTMENT CITY COUNCIL MADE TO EASE THE STRESS AND FINANCIAL HARDSHIP THAT CAMBRIDGE FAMILIES WERE FACING AS A RESULT OF STRUCTURAL POVERTY.
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE INFLATIONARY ENVIRONMENT WITHIN WHICH THIS PROGRAM WAS DEVELOPED AND LAUNCHED.
AS YOU KNOW, INCOME INEQUALITIES HAVE PERSISTED IN CAMBRIDGE FOR DECADES.
THESE INEQUITIES WERE HIGHLIGHTED IN CFS, UH, EQUITY AND INNOVATION CITIES REPORT PUBLISHED IN 2021 THAT LOOKED AT DATA FROM 2009 TO 2018.
AS THE PANDEMIC SET IN, WE LEARNED THAT POVERTY DEEPENED IN CAMBRIDGE AND WAS EXACERBATED BY THE INFLATION THAT FOLLOWED AT THAT TIME, MANY GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAMS WILL LAUNCHED ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
OUR THEN AND CURRENT MAYOR SIDIKI WAS ABLE TO SECURE A $500,000 GRANT THAT CCF MATCHED WITH 1.1 MILLION IN PHILANTHROPIC INVESTMENTS FROM CCFS RESOURCES, HARVARD, MIT, INDIVIDUAL DONORS, AND CAMBRIDGE COMPANIES.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND CEOC, WE LAUNCHED A GUARANTEED INCOME, COMPILE IT FOR 130 SINGLE CAREGIVER HOUSEHOLDS WITH CHILDREN.
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THE PROGRAM LAUNCHED IN SEPTEMBER 21, PROVIDED $500 A MONTH FOR 18 MONTHS THROUGH THE PROGRAM.AND OTHER FAMILIES WHO WERE SEEKING SUPPORT ABOUT THE CHA.
UH, WE, WE, UM, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, COUNCIL MEMBERS CEOC AND CCF HEARD DIRECTLY ABOUT THE CHALLENGES FAMILIES FACE WITH THE AFFORDABILITY OF EVERYDAY LIFE IN A HIGH COST CITY AND THE PRESSURES OF MAKING ENDS MEET, WHICH IN MANY CASES CAUSED EXTREME STRESS FOR CAREGIVERS.
IN APRIL OF 22, THE UM, COUNCIL VOTED TO USE 22 MILLION OR 25% OF ITS ARPA ALLOCATION TO HELP FAMILIES WITH DIRECT CASH ASSISTANCE, EXTENDING THE REACH TO COVER FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN WHO WERE EARNING UP TO 250% OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LINE.
UH, CCF AT THAT POINT, COMMISSIONED CA CASH EMPOWERS RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND WHO THESE FAMILIES WERE, THEIR DEMOGRAPHICS, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, INCOME, WORKFORCE PARTICIPATION, AND OTHER DATA.
AND FOUND THAT THERE WERE NEARLY 2000 POTENTIAL RISE UP FAMILIES THAT CONSTITUTED 7,200 INDIVIDUALS OF WHICH 50% WERE CHILDREN.
THE DATA ALSO NOTED THAT CAMBRIDGE'S COST OF LIVING WAS 72% HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE REQUIRING INCOMES AT 500% OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL JUST TO STAY AFLOAT, RISE UP CAMBRIDGE, THE CITY'S GUARANTEED.
UM, ACTUALLY CASH ASSISTANCE PROGRAM WAS LAUNCHED IN JULY OF 2023 AND ENDED IN FEBRUARY OF 2025.
IT WAS CREATED TO HELP FAMILIES, UH, STABILIZE AND DEAL WITH THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19, UNDERSTANDING THAT FAMILIES HAD VARYING NEEDS.
THE CASH PROVIDED WAS FLEXIBLE SO LONG AS IT WAS USED TO MEET BASIC NEEDS OF FAMILIES.
A HIGH GOAL OF THE PROGRAM WAS TO STABILIZE AND EMPOWER RESIDENTS, PARTICULARLY SOME OF CAMBRIDGE'S MOST VULNERABLE FAMILIES ON HOW BEST TO MEET THEIR BASIC NEEDS AND RECOVER FROM THE PANDEMIC.
THE STATE OF RESEARCH ON GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAMS AT THAT POINT SHOWED THAT LOW INCOME FAMILIES USE THE FUNDS TO PAY FOR SHORTFALLS IN RENT, UTILITIES, SUPPLEMENT THEIR FOOD BUDGETS, AND PAY FOR CHILDCARE AND EVERYDAY NEEDS.
GIVEN THAT KNOWLEDGE, THE EVALUATION OF RISE UP WAS STRUCTURED TO GAIN A DEEPER KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE QUALIFIED FAMILIES.
WE LOOKED AT THINGS ACROSS RACE, INCOME, AND FAMILY TYPES SO THAT CAMBRIDGE COULD LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW BEST TO SUPPORT THEM.
UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITY OF POVERTY, ITS CAUSES AND ITS IMPACTS.
WE ALL KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THAT $9,000 OVER 18 MONTHS CANNOT CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF AN INDIVIDUAL LEAVE ALONE FAMILY, PARTICULARLY WHEN MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOMES FOR PARTICIPATING FAMILIES WAS 23,650.
AS YOU WILL HEAR FROM MINA ADU, THE RESEARCH TEAM LEAD FOR OUR EVALUATION PARTNER, MDRC, THE RESOURCES YOU INVESTED WERE PUT TO GOOD USE.
THEY PROVIDED MEANINGFUL RELIEF, THEY STABILIZED FAMILIES.
BUT LIKE THE INVESTMENT OF CHILDCARE TAX CREDITS DURING THE PANDEMIC, WHICH REDUCED NATIONAL PO UH, CHILDHOOD POVERTY RATES BY 50%, THE GAINS WERE SHORT-LIVED.
THIS FINDING MATTERS, CASH ASSISTANCE IS IMPORTANT AND NECESSARY, BUT IT IS NOT SUFFICIENT ON ITS OWN.
AS MENTIONED EARLIER, ECONOMIC MOBILITY IS SHAPED BY INTERLOCKING PRESSURES OF INCOME, HOUSING, EDUCATION, CHILDCARE, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH.
NO SINGLE SHORT-TERM INTERVENTION CAN UNTANGLE ALL OF THESE FORCES.
RISE UP, DIDN'T PROMISE TO END POVERTY, BUT IT PROVIDED, UH, BUT IT PROVED THAT CASH STABILIZES FAMILIES AND THAT KEEPING FAMILIES FROM FALLING FURTHER BEHIND IS IN, IN ITSELF A PROFOUND AND WORTHY GOAL.
IT ALSO SHOWED US THAT STABILITY DOESN'T SUSTAIN ITSELF WITHOUT CONTINUED SUPPORT.
THE QUESTION BEFORE US NOW IS WHAT LONG-TERM STRATEGIES MIGHT LOOK LIKE? STRATEGIES THAT MOVE FAMILIES FROM A MOMENT OF RELIEF TO A REAL PATH FORWARD.
AND WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE MINA ADU FROM MDRC, WHO WILL TAKE US THROUGH THE F UH, FINDINGS.
MINA IS JOINED BY CATHERINE ALKIN, WHO'S ALSO ON THE RESEARCH TEAM.
UM, JUST AS A NOTE, MDRC IS A SOCIAL POLICY AND RESEARCH NONPROFITS WITH OVER PROFIT WITH OVER 50 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND WAS SELECTED THROUGH A RIGOROUS NATIONAL SEARCH PROCESS.
MINA IS, UH, THE LEAD, UH, PROJECT LEAD FOR RISEUP.
SHE HAS A PHD IN SOCIAL WELFARE FROM UPENN, AND OVER 10 YEARS OF POLI PUBLIC POLICY EXPERIENCE, INCLUDING POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYSIS, AND TRANSLATING RESEARCH FOR NON-ACADEMIC AUDIENCES, INCLUDING CONGRESSIONAL STAFF AND POLICY MAKERS.
MINA IS A QUALITATIVE RESEARCHER, SKILLED AT MIXED METHOD STUDIES.
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ON INCOME AND POVERTY POLICY, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND PROGRAM EVALUATION.AND WITH THAT, I HAND IT OVER TO MINA.
I'M A RESEARCH ASSOCIATE AT MDRC, AND I'M JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUE, KATINA ALKIN.
UH, I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TODAY TO PRESENT FINDINGS FROM THE RISE UP CAMBRIDGE EVALUATION.
UH, SO BEFORE I GET STARTED, I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, SEVERAL OF OUR PARTNERS IN THIS WORK.
UM, CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, UH, CAMBRIDGE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE, THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE, UH, MAYOR SIDIKI.
UM, BUT I ALSO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, COMMUNITY RESEARCHERS AND THE RESEARCH ADVISORY COUNCIL WHO WERE, UH, CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS WHO WERE PART OF OUR RESEARCH TEAM AND, AND REALLY CONTRIBUTED TO THIS WORK.
AND ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS WHO, UH, PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY.
THIS IS A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF WHAT I'LL COVER TODAY.
I WON'T READ THROUGH THE SLIDE IN THE INTEREST OF TIME.
UH, AND AS GITA MENTIONED, JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF MDRC, UH, WE ARE A NONPROFIT NONPARTISAN RESEARCH ORGANIZATION AND WE FOCUS ON BUILDING EVIDENCE TO IMPROVE POLICY PRACTICE AND THE WELLBEING OF PEOPLE IN LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES.
SO, JUST AS A BRIEF BACKGROUND, UM, THIS SLIDE SUMMARIZES, UH, VERY HIGH LEVEL RESEARCH ON SHORT-TERM CAST ASSISTANCE.
AND WHAT DOES THE EXISTING RESEARCH TELL US? WELL, IT TELLS US THAT SHORT TERM CASH PAYMENTS EFFECTIVELY SOLVE SOME, BUT NOT ALL ECONOMIC CHALLENGES.
AND FROM THIS BODY OF RESEARCH, WE DON'T FIND LARGE SCALE, UH, CHANGES IN ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES.
UM, THERE IS EVIDENCE SHOWING, UH, REDUCED, UH, FOOD INSECURITY AND MENTAL DISTRESS AND VERY LIMITED EVIDENCE OF ANY EFFECTS ON WORK.
SO THIS IS AN OVERVIEW OF RISE UP CAMBRIDGE.
I WON'T SAY TOO MUCH ABOUT IT AS IT'S ALREADY BEEN COVERED, BUT AGAIN, JUST TO, UH, MENTION, THIS WAS A PROGRAM THAT PROVIDED $500 A MONTH, UH, FOR 18 MONTHS TO, UH, QUALIFIED FAMILIES.
SO THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK THAT INFORMED RISE UP.
SO STARTING FROM THE LEFT SIDE, YOU SEE THE $500 MONTHLY PAYMENTS THAT FAMILIES COULD CHOOSE TO SPEND ACCORDING TO THEIR NEEDS, BE IT HOUSEHOLD BILLS, DEBT PAYMENTS, PURSUING EDUCATION OR TRAINING, UH, OR INVESTING IN CHILDREN.
AND WITH THOSE PAYMENTS, UH, WE IMAGINE THAT, UH, THE SPENDING WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO ECONOMIC STABILITY DURING THE PROGRAM, AND THAT ECONOMIC STABILITY COULD COME THROUGH THINGS LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, REDUCING INCOME, VOLATILITY, EXPERIENCING LESS, UM, FINANCIAL HARDSHIP.
AND THE HOPE IS IN THE LONG TERM, UM, THAT THIS MAY EVENTUALLY CONTRIBUTE TO PROGRESS TOWARDS ECONOMIC MOBILITY.
SO, THE STUDY WAS GUIDED BY FOUR PRIMARY RESEARCH QUESTIONS.
WE WANTED TO UNDERSTAND HOUSEHOLD'S PERSPECTIVES ABOUT RISE UP.
WE WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THE OUTCOMES RISE UP GENERATED FOR FAMILIES.
WE WANTED TO GET A SENSE OF HOW, UM, OUTCOMES AND EXPERIENCES MIGHT VARY ACCORDING TO FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS, INCOME LEVEL, RACE, OR ETHNICITY.
AND WE WANTED TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE PROGRAM WAS IMPLEMENTED.
SO, TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS, WE USED, UH, LONGITUDINAL MIXED METHODS DESIGN.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? UH, SO WE COMBINED, UM, QUANTITATIVE SURVEY DATA WITH QUALITATIVE DATA FROM IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS, FOCUS GROUPS AND STORYTELLING.
UH, WE COLLECTED DATA AT MULTIPLE POINTS TO EXAMINE CHANGES IN FAMILIES' EXPERIENCES AND CIRCUMSTANCES OVER TIME.
AND USING MULTIPLE DATA SOURCES ALLOWED US TO, UH, COMPARE, UM, FINDINGS ACROSS DATA SOURCES.
UM, I ALSO NOTE THAT WE USED A COMPARATIVE APPROACH TO COMPARE THE EXPERIENCES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF FAMILIES.
AND IMPORTANTLY, THE STUDY PERIOD INCLUDES SIX MONTHS AFTER THE PROGRAM ENDS, ALLOWING US TO MAKE SOME OBSERVATIONS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AFTER.
UM, I MENTIONED BEFORE OUR COMMUNITY, UH, RESEARCHERS AND RESEARCH ADVISORY COUNCIL, AND I WANNA NOTE THAT THEY WERE, UH, PART OF THE RESEARCH IN LENDING THEIR EXPERTISE TO DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS.
I DO WANNA POINT OUT, UM, UH, A COUPLE OF LIMITATIONS, UM, ASSOCIATED WITH OUR APPROACH.
SO THIS IS A STUDY THAT DOES NOT HAVE A COMPARISON GROUP, AND THEREFORE WE'RE NOT MAKING, UM, CAUSAL CLAIMS ABOUT RISE UP.
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IT'S FOCUSED ON OUTCOMES TO OBSERVE WHAT HAPPENS, UM, DURING AND AFTER THE PROGRAM.AND THE SECOND THING THAT I'LL NOTE IS WHILE WE DO GAIN DEEP INSIGHTS FROM QUALITATIVE RESEARCH, THE FINDINGS ARE NOT, UH, GENERALIZABLE GIVEN THE RELATIVELY SMALLER QUALITATIVE SAMPLE.
UM, SO NEXT I'LL TURN TO FINDINGS.
UH, THIS IS AN OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS THAT I'LL DISCUSS IN GREATER DETAIL IN THE FOLLOWING SLIDES.
UM, FIRST AND FOREMOST, I'LL NOTE THAT PARTICIPANTS EXPRESS GRATITUDE FOR RISE UP, THE SUPPORT IT'S THAT PROVIDED.
UM, THEY REPORTED THAT IT CONTRIBUTED TO LESS STRESS AND A SENSE OF EMPOWERMENT AND THE ABILITY TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH FAMILY.
IT, UH, MEANT MEANINGFUL FINANCIAL RELIEF FOR FAMILIES AND INCREMENTAL PROGRESS THAT MAY CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS, UH, FUTURE ECONOMIC MOBILITY.
AT THE SAME TIME, SOME HARDSHIPS REMAINED.
UM, OUR COMPARISON OF FAMILIES WITH DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS SHOWED THAT, UM, RELATIVELY HIGHER INCOME FAMILIES, UH, FARED BETTER.
AND WE DID OBSERVE SOME DIFFERENCES ACROSS RACIAL AND ETHNIC GROUPS.
BUT I DO NOTE THAT SOME OF THESE DIFFERENCES MAY REFLECT PRIOR CIRCUMSTANCES, UM, WITH RESPECT TO IMPLEMENTATION, UM, EXTENSIVE OUTREACH AND AN ONLINE APPLICATION MADE CITY-WIDE REACH POSSIBLE.
AND, UH, AN IMPORTANT FEATURE OF THE PROGRAM WAS THE FACT THAT IT DID NOT AFFECT OTHER BENEFITS, SO PARTICIPANTS MAINTAINED THEIR OTHER BENEFITS.
SO THIS IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF RISEUP FAMILIES AND STUDY PARTICIPANTS.
UM, UH, SO CLOSE TO 1300 FAMILIES AGREED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY, AND THEY REPRESENTED A WIDE RANGE OF FAMILIES THAT WERE PART OF RISEUP.
SO THE FULL RANGE OF INCOMES THAT WERE ELIGIBLE, AS WELL AS HOUSEHOLDS WITH DIFFERENT SIZES, DIFFERENT RACES AND ETHNICITIES.
UH, THE BOX ON THE LEFT PROVIDES A SNAPSHOT OF HOUSEHOLDS THAT WERE PART OF THE STUDY.
UM, I'LL JUST NOTE THAT MOST WERE HEADED BY A SINGLE PARENT.
UH, UH, MANY WERE HEADED BY WOMEN AND MOST WERE WORKING AT LEAST PART-TIME.
UM, YET THE MEDIAN INCOME WAS, UH, UNDER $24,000.
UM, JUST AS A GENERAL NOTE, A LOT OF THE DATA THAT WAS COLLECTED, UH, IS FOCUSED ON THE PRIMARY ADULT IN THE HOUSEHOLD.
SO THAT'S THE PERSON WHO ENROLLED IN RISE UP, PARTICIPATED IN SURVEYS AND OTHER DATA COLLECTION.
AND I WOULD NOTE THAT THEY PROVIDED INFORMATION BOTH ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THEIR LARGER HOUSEHOLDS.
UM, SO THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT SLIDE FOR CONTEXT.
UM, AS I MENTIONED WHEN I TALKED ABOUT PREVIOUS LITERATURE, AND AS GITA MENTIONED IN HER REMARKS, YOU KNOW, CASH ASSISTANCE, UM, CAN HELP BUT DOESN'T COMPLETELY ELIMINATE CHALLENGES THAT FAMILIES ARE FACING.
AND WHAT THIS GRAPH SHOWS IS AVERAGE MONTHLY INCOME IN BLUE AND THE ADDITION OF RISE UP FUNDS IN ORANGE.
AND WHAT YOU CAN SEE HERE IS THAT EVEN WITH RISE UP FUNDS, MORE THAN 40% OF FAMILIES STILL HAD INCOMES THAT WERE BELOW THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL.
UH, SO TURNING TO OUTCOMES, AGAIN, HIGH LEVEL FAMILIES EXPERIENCED MEANINGFUL FINANCIAL RELIEF DURING THE PROGRAM AND MADE INCREMENTAL PROGRESS THAT MAY CONTRIBUTE TO FUTURE ECONOMIC MOBILITY, BUT SOME HARDSHIPS DID REMAIN.
SO A KEY FOCUS OF THIS STUDY WAS UNDERSTANDING PARTICIPANTS' PERSPECTIVES ON THE PROGRAM AND THEIR EXPERIENCES.
SO IN ADDITION TO EXPRESSING GRATITUDE FOR THE PROGRAM, A RECURRING THEME WAS, UH, REDUCED STRESS AND ANXIETY.
SO BOTH IN, UM, GENERAL, BUT ALSO IN SOME SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, SOME PEOPLE MENTIONED THAT THEY FELT LESS STRESS WHEN THEY WERE, UH, SHOPPING FOR GROCERIES, UH, DURING THE RISE UP PROGRAM.
UM, OTHER PARTICIPANTS DESCRIBED HAVING POSITIVE AND EMPOWERING EXPERIENCE BECAUSE OF THE PROGRAM, AGAIN, BOTH FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES.
UH, SO FOR EXAMPLE, SOME PARTICIPANTS TALKED ABOUT HAVING OPPORTUNITIES TO DO SOMETHING THEY WOULDN'T OTHERWISE BE ABLE TO AFFORD, DOING THINGS LIKE BEING ABLE TO CELEBRATE THEIR CHILD'S BIRTHDAY, SOMETHING THEY HADN'T HAD OPPORTUNITIES TO DO IN THE PAST.
SO TO PROVIDE A, A LITTLE BIT MORE CONTEXT ABOUT SOME OF THE, UH, FINDINGS I JUST HIGHLIGHTED.
SO PARTICIPANTS REPORTING LESS STRESS AND ANXIETY.
UM, I HAVE A QUOTE HERE FROM A MARRIED FATHER WITH YOUNG CHILDREN, AND HE TALKED ABOUT, UM, AT SOME POINTS HAVING TO TAKE ON A SIDE JOB TO EARN MORE
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MONEY.AND HIS JOB WAS, UM, GRADING ESSAYS.
AND HE TALKED ABOUT, UM, HAVING RISE UP FUNDS, PROVIDED THE FAMILY WITH SOME WIGGLE ROOM, AND, UH, MADE SURE THAT THEY COULD COVER THE BASICS WITHOUT HIM HAVING TO DO THAT EXTRA JOB.
BUT HE SAID IN HIS WORDS, AT ONE POINT I WAS WORKING A SIDE JOB, LIKE GRADING ESSAYS AND THINGS, AND THAT WAS KIND OF STRESSFUL, YOU KNOW, STAYING UP LATE, GRADING THESE ESSAYS, I WAS ABLE TO STOP DOING THAT AND ACTUALLY GET SOME SLEEP.
SO THINGS LIKE THAT, IT JUST SORT OF TOOK THE PRESSURE OFF.
SO HERE HE'S TALKING ABOUT HAVING RISE UP, MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR HIM TO HAVE, UM, BE BE LESS STRESSED, TO BE ABLE TO SLEEP MORE BECAUSE HE HAD THE FUNDS FROM THE PROGRAM.
AND I IMAGINE ALSO SPEND MORE TIME WITH HIS YOUNG FAMILY.
UH, SO I, I TOUCHED ON, UM, PARTICIPANTS VALUING THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH FAMILY AND PERHAPS, UM, EXPOSE THEIR FAMILY TO NEW EXPERIENCES.
SO I HAVE A QUOTE HERE FROM AN INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT WHO IS A SINGLE MOTHER OF A SON, AND SHE MENTIONED THAT SHE HAD SOME CONCERNS ABOUT SAFETY IN THEIR IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT WITH THE RISE UP PROGRAM, SHE FELT A SENSE OF EMPOWERMENT AND THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO TAKE HER SON TO EXPERIENCE OTHER PARTS OF CAMBRIDGE.
SO, IN HER WORDS, I WAS BLESSED TO BE ABLE TO JOIN RISE UP CAMBRIDGE, WHICH WAS ABLE TO GET MY SON OUT OF THIS AREA.
WE WERE ABLE TO GO TO MOVIES, WE WERE ABLE TO GO TO THE POOL AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH.
IT'S AMAZING WHEN YOU CAN ACTUALLY SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, THIS MONTH I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY.
I CAN MAKE PLANS TO TAKE MY SON TO THE MOVIES AND TAKE HIM OUT TO DINNER.
AND SO IN THE END OF THE QUOTE, SHE, SHE KIND OF TALKS ABOUT EMPOWERMENT AS WELL, REALLY FEELING LIKE SHE HAD THE ABILITY TO DO SOME THINGS THAT SHE OTHERWISE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO WITH HER SON.
UM, AS, AS PART OF OUR STUDY, WE DID ASK QUESTIONS OF PARTICIPANTS, UH, AND ASK FOR PERSPECTIVE, EXCUSE ME, ASK FOR PERSPECTIVES ON HOW THEY COMPARED RISE UP TO OTHER PROGRAMS. SO HERE'S A, A, A SUMMARY OF SOME KEY THEMES THAT CAME UP FROM THOSE LINES OF QUESTIONS.
SO, PARTICIPANTS, UH, APPRECIATED THE STREAMLINED APPLICATION PROCESS.
UM, UNRESTRICTED FUNDS MEANT THAT FAMILIES COULD SPEND THE FUNDS TO BEST MEET THEIR NEEDS.
THE FACT THAT RISE UP DID NOT AFFECT OTHER BENEFITS, UH, ALLOWED FAMILIES TO PRESERVE OTHER BENEFITS.
UH, ONE PERSON AND INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT CONTRASTED HER EXPERIENCE APPLYING FOR SNAP BENEFITS, SAYING THAT SHE FELT LIKE THERE WAS MORE DISTRUST IN THAT PROCESS.
UH, SHE WAS, THE TYPES OF QUESTIONS SHE WAS ASKED MADE HER FEEL LIKE THE, UM, THE STAFF PERSON SHE WAS WORKING WITH DID NOT TRUST HER AND SHE DID NOT HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE WITH RISE UP.
AND, UM, FINALLY, PARTICIPANTS REALLY APPRECIATED THE CONSISTENCY OF PAYMENTS, KNOWING, UM, EACH MONTH WHEN THEIR PAYMENTS WOULD ARRIVE, AND HAVING THAT, UM, SENSE OF EASE, KNOWING THAT THEY COULD COUNT ON THE MONTHLY PAYMENTS.
UH, SO OUTCOMES DEPEND IN PART ON HOW UH, FUNDS ARE USED.
AND ON THIS SLIDE, WE SHOW, UH, SOME OF THE MOST COMMON USES OF PAYMENTS.
SO, AS GITA, UH, DISCUSSED IN HER REMARKS, UM, YOU KNOW, RISEUP HELPED FAMILIES MEET BASIC NEEDS, UM, THAT WAS, UH, CLEAR ACROSS ALL FORMS OF DATA COLLECTION AND IN VERY HIGH NUMBERS.
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN 85 AND 93% OF HOUSEHOLDS REPORTED USING FUNDS TO COVER BASIC NEEDS, UM, USING FUNDS TO PAY FOR EMERGENCY EXPENSES OR UNEXPECTED BILLS.
UH, THAT WAS ALSO QUITE COMMON.
SO ABOUT THREE FOURTHS OF, UH, PARTICIPANTS REPORTED USING FUNDS FOR EMERGENCIES.
UH, SOME TALKED ABOUT, UH, BUILDING SAVINGS OR PAYING DOWN DEBT.
BOTH OF THOSE, MORE THAN HALF OF, UH, RESPONDENTS INDICATED THOSE WERE SOME OF THE WAYS THEY USED THE FUNDS.
AND, UM, FAMILIES ALSO TALKED ABOUT INVESTING IN THEIR CHILDREN, SO SUPPORTING THEM, UM, IN SCHOOLS SUCH AS ASKING FOR, OR SUCH AS PAYING FOR TUTORING OR, OR SPECIAL, UH, LESSONS.
UH, AND THAT WAS ALSO, YOU KNOW, MORE THAN HALF OF, UH, SURVEY RESPONDENTS INDICATED THAT, UM, FINALLY, I WOULD NOTE THAT A FEW FAMILIES DID TALK ABOUT MAKING LARGER MATERIAL, UH, IMPROVEMENTS, LIKE BEING ABLE TO BUY A VEHICLE OR A MAJOR APPLIANCE FOR THEIR HOME.
SO, JUST TO FURTHER UNPACK THE USE OF PAYMENTS FOR BASIC NEEDS, THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE FIVE MOST COMMON USES OF PAYMENTS, UH, AMONG SURVEY RECIPIENT OR AMONG SURVEY RESPONDENTS.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, FOOD WAS, UH, THE, THE MOST COMMON USE AND MORE THAN 93% OF RESPONDENTS INDICATED THAT THEY USED FUNDS
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TO PAY FOR FOOD.UH, OTHER, UH, COMMON USES WERE RENT, HOUSEHOLD BILLS, UTILITIES, AND AGAIN, UM, CLOTHING AND SHOES FOR CHILDREN.
SO, TO GIVE A, A LITTLE BIT MORE INSIGHT INTO HOW FAMILIES MEET THEIR BASIC NEEDS, I HAVE A QUOTE HERE FROM A MOTHER WHO IS MARRIED AND HAS FOUR CHILDREN.
AND SHE TALKED ABOUT USING RISE UP FUNDS TO SUPPLEMENT THE FAMILY'S FOOD STAMPS.
SO IN HER WORDS, SHE SAYS, WITH THE FOOD STAMPS, IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO FEED THE KIDS.
I WAS STRUGGLING WITH THREE BOYS AND ONE GIRL, AND NOW I'M LIKE, YOU, YOU GUYS ARE EATING ME OUT OF A HOUSE.
SO I'M LIKE, I CAN USE THAT EXTRA MONEY TO HELP OUT.
SO SHE WAS ABLE TO USE RISE UP FUNDS WHEN FOOD STAMPS WERE, UM, FALLING SHORT IN BEING ABLE TO, UM, COVER FOOD FOR THE FAMILY.
UM, ALSO WANTED TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF A FAMILY THAT WAS ABLE TO MAKE A LARGER MATERIAL IMPROVEMENT.
SO HERE, UM, I HAVE A QUOTE FROM A MOM WHO HAD SOME SERIOUS HEALTH CHALLENGES THAT LIMITED HER MOBILITY.
AND WITH SUPPORT FROM RISE UP, SHE WAS ABLE TO BUY A CAR THAT MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR HER TO DO MORE THINGS WITH HER DAUGHTER, SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, GOING TO THE PARK OR MADE IT EASIER FOR HER TO ACCESS THINGS LIKE GROCERY SHOPPING.
AND SHE SAYS, YOU KNOW, SOME MONEY, I USE IT FOR DRIVING CLASSES.
AND AFTER THAT, I BUY A CAR BECAUSE MY HEALTH IS NO GOOD.
I CAN'T WALK TOO MUCH BECAUSE I HAVE LUPUS AND LUNG DISEASE.
SO AGAIN, THIS IS A REALLY, UM, IMPORTANT QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENT THAT, UM, ONE FAMILY WAS ABLE TO MAKE WITH, UH, THE SUPPORT FROM RISE UP.
UM, SO DESPITE, UM, SOME OF THE PROGRESS THAT FAMILIES MADE, I DO WANNA NOTE THAT SOME HARDSHIP PERSISTED.
SO EVEN WITH THE MEANINGFUL SUPPORT FROM THE PROGRAM, A MAJORITY OF HOUSEHOLDS STILL EXPERIENCED AT LEAST ONE FORM OF MATERIAL HARDSHIP.
UM, DURING THE PROGRAM, WE ASKED ABOUT SEVEN TYPES OF HARDSHIP ON THE SURVEY, THIS, UM, FIGURE SHOWS THE THREE MOST COMMON, UH, BEING NOT BEING ABLE TO PAY THE FULL AMOUNT OF AN ELECTRIC BILL, NOT BEING ABLE TO PAY THE FULL AMOUNT OF ANOTHER BILL, OR NOT BEING ABLE TO FULL PAY THE FULL AMOUNT OF HOUSING COSTS, BE IT RENT OR A MORTGAGE.
AND AFTER THE PROGRAM ENDED, UM, CLOSE TO 80% OF, UH, SURVEY RESPONDENTS DESCRIBED FACING GREATER FINANCIAL, UM, CHALLENGES AND HAVING TO DO THINGS LIKE, UH, REDUCE, UM, ESSENTIAL SPENDING TO, TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
UM, AND AS I'VE, UM, JUST NOTED, YOU KNOW, PARTICIPANTS INDICATED THAT RISE UP MADE AN IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE, BUT THEY DID STILL HAVE SOME HARDSHIP.
SO I HAVE A QUOTE HERE FROM A SINGLE PARENT WHO MENTIONS HOW SHE USED RISE UP TO SUPPORT HER FAMILY.
UH, IT BASICALLY MADE SURE THAT SHE COULD AFFORD ESSENTIAL ITEMS, ALTHOUGH IT, YOU KNOW, DIDN'T SOLVE ALL OF HER ISSUES IN, IN HER WORDS, MY INCOME WAS ALREADY NOT ENOUGH TO COVER THE COST OF LIVING, AND I WAS STRUGGLING AS A SINGLE MOM.
THE $500 MONTHLY SUPPORT REALLY HELPED ME MANAGE MY BILLS AND COVER MY CHILD'S EXPENSES.
AT THE VERY LEAST, IT HELPED ME, IT ALLOWED ME TO BUY ESSENTIAL ITEMS FOR MY FAMILY AND KEEP UP WITH SOME OF MY PAYMENTS.
UH, SO AS I MENTIONED, UH, WHEN I TALKED ABOUT METHODS, WE ALSO WANTED TO OBSERVE VARIATION ACROSS FAMILY GROUPS AND OVER TIME.
SO, UH, A CLEAR TREND WAS THAT FAMILIES WITH HIGHER INCOME REPORTED BETTER FINANCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES, SUCH AS, UM, HAVING MORE SAVINGS, FEELING MORE PREPARED FOR THE END OF THE PROGRAM, AND AS SHOWN BY THE GRAPH BEING MORE LIKELY TO AGREE THAT THEIR FINANCIAL SITUATION HAD IMPROVED, UM, DURING THE, UH, EXCUSE ME, HAD IMPROVED SINCE THE RISE UP PROGRAM STARTED.
UM, I DO WANNA NOTE THAT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THIS VARIATION REFLECTS DIFFERENCES THAT EXISTED BEFORE THE PROGRAM, BUT IT DOES HIGHLIGHT HOW DIFFERENT FAMILIES CAN EXPERIENCE THE PROGRAM DIFFERENTLY.
AND AGAIN, UM, HIGHER INCOME FAMILIES WERE MORE LIKELY TO FEEL LIKE THEY WERE PREPARED FOR THE END OF THE PROGRAM, OR THAT THEY HAD IMPROVED THEIR, UM, FINANCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
SO, WHILE THE CLEAREST TRENDS WERE RELATED TO INCOME, WE ALSO OBSERVED SOME DIFFERENCES RELATED TO RACE AND ETHNICITY, ALTHOUGH, AGAIN, THESE MAY REFLECT PRE-EXISTING DIFFERENCES AND LARGER STRUCTURAL FORCES UNRELATED TO THE PROGRAM.
UH, SO THE FIGURE WE HAVE HERE SHOWS THE SHARE OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS WHO INDICATED THAT THEIR INCOME WAS ABOVE THE FEDERAL POVERTY LINE AND THE DIFFERENCES ACCORDING
[00:30:01]
TO RACE OR ETHNICITY.UH, WE SEE HERE THAT THE LARGEST SHARE OF HOUSEHOLDS REPORTING INCOME ABOVE THE FEDERAL POVERTY LINE WERE IDENTIFIED AS OTHER RACES, AND THE LOWEST SHARE WERE IDENTIFIED AS HISPANIC.
UM, SO WE ALSO OBSERVED, UH, CHANGES IN HOUSEHOLD INCOME OVER TIME.
AND I KNOW THERE'S A LOT ON THIS SLIDE HERE, SO I'M JUST GOING TO SORT OF NARRATE A COUPLE OF KEY POINTS.
UM, WHAT WE DID FIND IS THAT AVERAGE INCOME DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE OVER THE STUDY PERIOD, BUT THE PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS THAT WERE BE BELOW THE POVERTY LEVEL, UM, INCREASED.
AND WE ALSO SAW SOME MOVEMENT INTO DIFFERENT INCOME CATEGORIES.
SO WHAT YOU SEE IN THIS FIGURE IS, UH, THE FOUR DIFFERENT INCOME CATEGORIES RANGING FROM BELOW 50% OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL GOING UP TO 250% OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE BAR ON THE, UH, FAR RIGHT, THAT'S THE HIGHEST INCOME GROUP.
AND THE, UM, BOX IN GOLD SHOWS THE SHARE OF FAMILIES THAT STARTED OUT IN THAT CATEGORY AND REMAINED IN THAT CATEGORY, UM, THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE STUDY.
AND WHAT YOU CAN SEE HERE IS JUST 36% OF FAMILIES IT STARTED IN THAT HIGHEST INCOME CATEGORY REMAINED IN THAT CATEGORY.
SO FOLKS, UH, WERE WERE MORE LIKELY TO, YOU KNOW, DROP DOWN TO A LOWER INCOME CATEGORY.
AND, UM, JUST, AGAIN, THERE'S A LOT ON THE SLIDE, BUT THAT'S JUST SOMETHING WE WANTED TO NOTE WITH RESPECT TO INCOME CHANGES.
UM, AND THE, THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, GIVES SOME INSIGHT THAT MIGHT EXPLAIN SOME INCOME CHANGES.
UH, AND I WOULD SAY A RELATED THEME THAT WE HEARD THROUGHOUT, UM, THE QUALITATIVE RESEARCH WAS, UM, JOB INSTABILITY.
SO I HAVE A, A QUOTE HERE FROM A SINGLE MOM WHO HAS SPENT HER CAREER AS AN EARLY CHILDHOOD ED EDUCATOR, BUT, UM, HER CONTRACT WAS NOT RENEWED UNEXPECTEDLY.
AND SO SHE HAD A PERIOD WHERE SHE WAS NOT WORKING AND SHE WAS LOOKING FOR WORK, AND SHE DID FIND ANOTHER JOB, ALTHOUGH IT WAS A, UH, A TEMPORARY POSITION.
AND I WILL NOTE THAT THESE JOB CHANGES WERE NOT CAUSED BY RISE UP, BUT I USE THIS EXAMPLE TO SHOW THAT THERE WERE JOB CHANGES THAT CONTRIBUTED TO SOME INSTABILITY AND SOME OF THE INCOME CHANGES THAT I DISCUSSED ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE.
SO, TO GET INTO A FEW LESSONS FROM IMPLEMENTATION, UM, THE PROGRAM WAS SUCCESSFUL IN BEING ABLE TO HAVE WIDE REACH THROUGHOUT THE CITY THAT WAS BOLSTERED BY EXTENSIVE OUTREACH, UM, USING DIFFERENT APPROACHES, SO FLYERS, SOCIAL MEDIA, COMMUNITY EVENTS, HAVING MATERIALS BE AVAILABLE IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, AND ONLINE ENROLLMENT WITH SUPPORT FROM, UM, LOCAL AGENCIES THAT COULD HELP PEOPLE WITH THAT ENROLLMENT PROCESS.
UM, AND AGAIN, I WILL JUST NOTE THAT THE PROGRAM DID NOT AFFECT OTHER BENEFITS, ENSURING THAT FAMILIES DID NOT LOSE BENEFITS AS A RESULT OF BEING IN RISE UP.
UM, I'LL, IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, I'LL JUST READ ONE OF THESE QUOTES THAT TALKS ABOUT THE, UM, OUTREACH AND ENROLLMENT PROCESS.
SO THE SECOND QUOTE IS FROM A YOUNG MOM WHO MENTIONS THAT SHE HEARD ABOUT RISE UP THROUGH HER KIDS' SCHOOL, AND SHE SAYS THE FAMILY LIAISON SENT OUT FLYERS.
AND I THOUGHT IT WAS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS WAS EASY FOR ME SINCE I'M TECH SAVVY AND DO EVERYTHING ON MY PHONE.
SO SPEAKING BOTH TO THE VALUE OF THE OUTREACH AND THE ONLINE APPLICATION MADE IT EASY FOR THIS MOM TO, UM, ENROLL IN RISE UP.
UH, AND AGAIN, HIGHLIGHTING THE, THE POINT THAT RISE UP DID NOT AFFECT ELIGIBILITY FOR OTHER BENEFITS.
THIS IS SOMETHING AGAIN, THAT WE HEARD VERY COMMONLY IN QUALITATIVE WORK.
AND I'LL READ THE QUOTE HERE FROM A FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANT.
AND WHAT SHE SAYS IS THE IMPORTANT, THE UNFORTUNATE PART IS IF YOU DO ANYTHING TO SUPPLEMENT YOUR INCOME, THEY'RE GONNA TIE IT TO RENT, AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA MAKE IT MORE, MEANING THEY'RE GONNA MAKE YOUR RENT MORE.
AND EVEN IF IT'S A TEMPORARY GIG, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT CONSISTENT AND YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO SUPPLEMENT.
THE BENEFIT OF THIS PROGRAM IS BEING ABLE TO HAVE THAT EXTRA INCOME AND NOT HAVE IT AFFECT ME.
THAT WAS ACTUALLY BIG, A BIG THING.
UM, SO, UM, I'VE TALKED ABOUT FINDINGS.
UM, NEXT I'LL TALK ABOUT IMPLICATIONS.
SO WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN? NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UM, THIS IS JUST A RECAP OF KEY FINDINGS.
I'M GONNA SKIP IT IN THE INTEREST OF TIME.
UH, SO THESE ARE SOME LESSONS FROM RISE UP THAT SPECIFICALLY
[00:35:01]
WE HEARD FROM, UH, PARTICIPANTS.AND, UH, THESE PERSPECTIVES INCLUDED THINGS LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, RISE UP SHOULD CONSIDER OTHER FACTORS SUCH AS FAMILY SIZE OR OTHER INDICATORS OF NEED AND POTENTIALLY A HIGHER INCOME THRESHOLD BASED ON THE COST OF LIVING IN CAMBRIDGE.
UM, CONSIDERATION SHOULD ALSO BE GIVEN TO A LONGER PROGRAM THAT WOULD ALLOW A FAMILY IS MORE TIME TO STABILIZE.
AND A FEW, UH, PARTICIPANTS SUGGESTED A LUMP SUM PAYMENT COULD HELP FAMILIES IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES, SUCH AS THOSE WHO MIGHT WANT TO PAY DOWN DEBT OR WANT TO MAKE A LARGE PURCHASE.
UM, AND THESE ARE A FEW OTHER LESSONS OR CONSIDERATIONS THAT, UM, COME FROM OUR ANALYSIS.
UM, SO, UM, POLICYMAKERS COULD CONSIDER TIERING BENEFITS RELATIVE TO FAMILIES NEEDS OR CIRCUMSTANCES AS OPPOSED TO, UH, A ONE SIZE FITS ALL THE UNIFORM BENEFIT.
UM, POLICYMAKERS COULD ALSO CONSIDER SUPPLEMENTING CASH ASSISTANCE WITH OTHER SUPPORTS TO IMPROVE STABILITY AND FOSTER MOBILITY.
UM, AND FINALLY, UM, YOU COULD CONSIDER OFFERING FINANCIAL COACHING MULTIPLE TIMES THROUGHOUT THE CASH PROGRAM TO ENGAGE MORE PARTICIPANTS.
AND I'LL OFFER AN EXAMPLE FROM A FOCUS GROUP WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WOULD PEOPLE LIKE SOME TYPE OF FINANCIAL COACHING OR SUPPORT ALONGSIDE BENEFITS.
AND WHAT WE HEARD IS MANY PEOPLE WERE NOT INITIALLY RESPONSIVE TO THE IDEA, BUT OVER TIME THEIR PERSPECTIVES CHANGED.
AND PEOPLE SAID THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, AFTER I STARTED TO FEEL SOME SENSE OF STABILITY, IT MEANT THAT I HAD TIME AND SPACE TO THINK ABOUT THINGS LIKE SAVING FOR RETIREMENT OR SAVING FOR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION OR STARTING A BUSINESS.
AND AT THAT POINT THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN MORE RECEPTIVE TO, UH, FINANCIAL COACHING THAT THAT WOULD'VE BEEN OFFERED.
SO I HAVE ON THE THIS SLIDE AND THE FOLLOWING SLIDE, UH, A COUPLE OF QUOTES FROM PARTICIPANTS THAT, UM, SORT OF, I WOULD SAY SUM UP SOME OF WHAT WE HEARD, UM, YOU KNOW, AS, AS BROAD THEMES FROM THE ANALYSIS.
AND THE FIRST THEME IS FROM, UH, A SINGLE MOM WHO TALKED ABOUT THE VALUE OF THIS PROGRAM.
AND SHE SAYS, I FEEL LIKE FOR SO LONG I'VE BEEN IN SURVIVAL MODE.
I'M JUST TRYING FROM PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, AND THERE'S NEVER ENOUGH.
AND I'M ALWAYS WORRIED ABOUT WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN AND WHAT THIS $500 A MONTH HAS ALLOWED ME TO DO FOR SUCH A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME.
IT HAS ALLOWED ME TO GET OUT OF SURVIVAL MODE INTO A PLACE WHERE IT'S LIKE REBUILT AND I FEEL LIKE THERE'S, AND I, AND NOT FEEL LIKE THERE'S A NOOSE AROUND MY NECK.
I CAN PUT THIS HERE, I CAN SAVE THIS AND I CAN DO THIS, AND I CAN BUDGET AS OPPOSED TO JUST SURVIVING.
AND ON THE NEXT SLIDE, I HAVE, UH, A FINAL QUOTE FROM SOMEBODY, UM, IN A FOCUS GROUP WHO TALKED ABOUT, UH, SIMILARLY MAKING A LOT OF EFFORT TO, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST MAKE IT FINANCIALLY.
AND WHAT SHE MENTIONED IS, UM, JUST THE, THE FACT THAT SAVINGS ALONE IS, IS NOT ENOUGH TO HELP FAMILIES MOVE OUT OF POVERTY.
AND SHE SAYS, I DON'T MEAN TO HAMMER AT HOME, BUT YOU CAN'T SAVE MONEY OUT OF POVERTY.
YOU CAN SAVE AND SAVE AND SAVE, BUT IT'S LIKE A CYCLE AND THE SYSTEM ISN'T CHANGING.
SO I, I LEAVE THAT QUOTE TO JUST HIGHLIGHT THAT AGAIN, RISE UP WAS, UM, CLEARLY, UH, A VALUABLE INVESTMENT AND VERY HELPFUL FOR FAMILIES, BUT, UH, FAMILIES ARE STILL FACING, UM, LARGER AND SYSTEMIC CHANGES THAT ARE AFFECTING THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR A WONDERFUL PRESENTATION.
I BELIEVE WE CURRENTLY DON'T HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
SORRY TO INTERRUPT, BUT AS PART OF OUR PRESENTATION OH YES, PLEASE GO AHEAD TINA AND SHAQUILA, IF YOU WANNA, SORRY, I CAN'T SAY ANYTHING MORE THAN THE FAMILIES HAVE, HAVE SAID, YOU KNOW, THEIR STORIES ARE ARE SO POWERFUL AND, AND IT'S NOT THAT, IT'S THINGS THAT WE DON'T KNOW ALREADY.
WE KNOW HOW PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING, AT LEAST WE KNOW, WE KNOW MANY OF YOU KNOW THIS, UM, THAT ON A DAILY BASIS.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT RISE THAT WAS SO IMPORTANT, AND I THINK THE COMPARISON TO OTHER PROGRAMS FOR US, WHICH IS WHAT WAS SO IMPORTANT THAT THE LACK OF RESTRICTIONS AND HOW PEOPLE USED THEIR MONEY AND WHEN THEY USED IT, MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE AS THE, AS THE QUOTE SAID.
UM, AND SINCE THE PAYMENTS HAVE STOPPED, MANY THINGS HAVE HAPPENED.
YOU KNOW, THERE IN THE FALL THERE WAS THE PAUSE OF SNAP BENEFITS FOR A SHORT TIME, AND
[00:40:01]
THEN IT WAS RESTORED.AND THE FOUNDATION IN THE CITY WAS VERY GENEROUS IN THEIR RESPONSE TO THAT.
AND WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE OUT GROCERY STORE GIFT CARDS TO SNAP RECIPIENTS THAT WERE HAD FAMILIES AND SENIORS.
AND WE FELT REALLY GOOD ABOUT THAT AND IT WAS SUCH AN IMPORTANT THING.
BUT AS WE HEARD FROM ONE MOTHER TO TALK ABOUT THE STIGMA OF STANDING IN LINE, YOU KNOW, IN THE GYM AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, HAVING TO COME OUT AND WAIT TO, YOU KNOW, TO GET A GIFT CARD, HOW APPRECIATIVE SHE WAS, BUT HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS.
UM, AND, AND SO THE IDEA OF, OF THE CASH ASSISTANCE WHERE THERE WAS ONE APPLICATION THAT WAS DONE IN A PARTNERSHIP WITH, WITH FAMILIES THAT THAT WAS IT.
AND THEN THEY HAD A STABLE INCOME OR A STABLE ASSISTANCE FOR 18 MONTHS.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO KEEP ASKING FOR THINGS.
AND WE ARE SEEING, AS WE ALL KNOW NOW, THE PRICE OF GAS AND HOW THAT'S GONE UP, IT IMPACTS ALL OF US.
I KEEP WAITING, HOW LOW IS THE, THE, THE GAS GAUGE IN MY CAR AND I CAN AFFORD TO FILL THE CAR UP.
BUT THOSE KINDS OF IMPACTS AFFECT OUR FAMILIES, OUR, OUR FAMILIES LIVING WITH LIMITED RESOURCES MUCH MORE THAN THEY AFFECT A LOT OF US.
AND, AND EVEN WITH THE SNAP PAUSE ONE MOM SAID, I WAS STRESSED OUT, BUT MY KIDS WERE STRESSED OUT THAT THEY HEARD IT ON THE NEWS THAT SNAP.
AND THEY SAID, ONE OF ONE OF HER OLDER KIDS, A MIDDLE SCHOOLER SAID, MOM, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO WITHOUT OUR SNAP BENEFITS? YOU KNOW, PARENTS TRY TO SHIELD THEIR KIDS, BUT THE KIDS ARE EXPOSED TO THAT.
THEY HEAR THE NEWS OR, OR THEY'RE ONLINE.
UM, BUT ALL OF THESE THINGS HAVE A MULTI-GENERATIONAL EFFECT AND PARENTS HAD REDUCED STRESS, BUT SO DID THE KIDS.
BUT WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF THAT COME BACK, YOU KNOW, PARENTS THAT WERE ABLE TO HAVE THEIR KIDS GO TO AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS THAT WERE A LITTLE BIT MORE EXPENSIVE, PARENTS THAT WERE ABLE TO SEND KIDS TO SUMMER CAMP, THE, THE FAMILY THAT TALKED ABOUT GOING TO THE MOVIES, NOW THEY'RE HAVING TO START TO SAY, WE CAN'T DO THAT ANYMORE.
YOU KNOW? SO WE TOOK STEPS FORWARD AND THEN NOW, NOW THEY'RE CONTINUING TO STRUGGLE AND THE MORE WE, I MEAN, WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE COUNTRY ITSELF, BUT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE OFTEN SAY, WELL, COVID O'S OVER, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PAST THAT.
IT'S NOT OVER FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WE WORK WITH.
THEY ARE STILL STRUGGLING WITH ALL OF THE LOSSES THAT HAPPENED.
AND NOW IN THIS LAST YEAR, IT HAS PILED UP ON, ON TOP OF THEM.
SO I KNOW WE ALL CARE ABOUT THOSE PEOPLE AND I KNOW WE ARE OFFERING PROGRAMS TO ASSIST THEM, BUT I GUESS MY FINAL THOUGHT IS A PROGRAM THAT REALLY ALLOWS PEOPLE TO MAINTAIN THEIR DIGNITY, MANAGE THEIR OWN MONEY, MAKE THE DECISIONS THAT BEST IMPACT THEIR FAMILY, AND THAT IT'S A CONSISTENT, UM, CONSISTENT MAKES SUCH A BIG DIFFERENCE IN IN PEOPLE'S LIVES.
I KNOW WE'RE STRAPPED FOR MONEY AND I KNOW WE DON'T HAVE WHAT WE MIGHT HAVE HAD IN THE PAST, BUT I GUESS IF THERE'S ANY EXTRA MONEY, WHAT WE WOULD ASK IS THAT SOME OF IT BE DEVOTED TO, TO A PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES THIS KIND OF SUPPORT TO PEOPLE.
UH, BEFORE I STARTED AT THE C-E-O-C-I WAS WITH THE CENTER FOR FAMILIES, WHICH IS A CAMBRIDGE PROGRAM AS A CLINICAL CASE MANAGER WITH THE BABY U PROGRAM.
UM, AND THEN BEFORE THAT I WORKED WITH THE AGENDA FOR CHILDREN FACILITATING THEIR COMMUNITY OF PRACTICES PROGRAMS. SO FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, I'VE WORKED WITH PROGRAMS THAT EITHER SUPPORT FAMILY DIRECTLY OR SUPPORTED, UH, PEOPLE WHO WORK WITH FAMILIES DIRECTLY IN SOME OF THE STORIES THAT I'VE HEARD.
IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, I JUST WANNA TELL MAYBE TWO VERY QUICKLY, UH, AND I'M JUST GONNA FOCUS MORE.
I KNOW THAT WE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT HOW ECONOMICALLY THIS IS, UM, LIFE CHANGING FOR PEOPLE AND THAT IT MAKES IT A LOT EASIER.
BUT I WANNA TALK ABOUT THE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING PART OF IT AS WELL.
UM, I SPOKE WITH THE FAMILY LAST WEEK AND ASKED THEM A FEW QUESTIONS.
I ALSO HOSTED A FOCUS GROUP AT THE CEOC ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO WITH A NUMBER OF CAMBRIDGE FAMILIES WHO ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE RISE UP PROGRAM.
WHEN I HAD THE CONVERSATION WITH ONE OF THE FAMILIES, I'M GOING TO LEAVE THEIR NAME ANONYMOUS BECAUSE THEY ASKED ME TO.
UM, MOM IS A SINGLE MOM WHO HAS TWO
[00:45:01]
CHILDREN, ONE WHO'S IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ONE WHO'S IN HIGH SCHOOL.SHE TOLD ME THAT WHEN SHE WAS DOING THE RISEUP PROGRAM, SHE HAD THIS IDEA ABOUT HER DAUGHTER, THAT HER DAUGHTER WAS ALWAYS A QUIET KID.
SHE'S, THIS IS JUST WHO SHE WAS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
SHE WAS NOT VERY TALKATIVE AND SHE NEVER, THIS, IT JUST WAS HER PERSONALITY.
AND MOM KIND OF WROTE IT OFF AS HER PERSONALITY.
WHEN THE UP PROGRAM BEGAN, MOM STARTED TO RECEIVE THE EXTRA MONEY.
AND WHAT SHE DID WITH THAT WAS ABLE TO NOT GO TO HER PART-TIME JOB SO THAT SHE COULD HAVE MORE TIME WITH HER DAUGHTER AND HER SON.
AS THE WEEKS WENT BY, MONTHS WENT BY, SHE STARTED TO SEE A DIFFERENT SIDE OF HER DAUGHTER AND SHE TOLD ME, AND SHE'S LIKE, I NEVER SEEN HER OPEN UP THE WAY THAT SHE OPENED UP.
AND EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS, I THINK A BIT TAKEN BACK OF HER DAUGHTER TO TELLING HER NO, SHE WAS ALSO REALLY PROUD OF HER DAUGHTER.
THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT HER DAUGHTER WAS ABLE TO ARTICULATE SOMETHING TO HER THAT SHE DIDN'T LIKE.
SHE ALSO SAW HER DAUGHTER REACHING OUT TO PLAY WITH OTHER KIDS THAT SHE DIDN'T KNOW, SOMETHING THAT SHE HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE AT A PLAYGROUND.
HER DAUGHTER WALKED UP TO A KID AND WAS LIKE, HEY, DO YOU WANNA PLAY? AND THE LITTLE GIRL SAID YES.
AND THEY STARTED TO PLAY FROM THERE.
THIS OTHER LITTLE GIRL LIVES IN WEST CAMBRIDGE IN A NICE HOUSE AND DOESN'T REALLY EXPERIENCE THE SAME THINGS.
AND IN THAT MOMENT IT DIDN'T MATTER BECAUSE THAT FAMILY FELT LIKE THIS IS A MEANINGFUL CONNECTION AND WE WANNA FOLLOW IT THROUGH.
BUT I THINK THE IMPORTANT PART FROM THIS STORY IS REALLY TO UNDERSTAND THAT SHE FELT LIKE HER DAUGHTER WAS QUIET HER ENTIRE LIFE.
AND BECAUSE SHE HAD TO GO TO SCHOOL THEN AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM AND THEN STRAIGHT HOME TO THEIR STRICT BED ROUTINE, SHE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE TIME TO TALK TO HER DAUGHTER.
AND SO SHE TOLD ME, SHE SAID I WANTED TO RAISE MY KIDS DIFFERENTLY FROM HOW I WAS RAISED.
MY PARENTS DIDN'T REALLY TALK TO ME BECAUSE THEY WERE SO BUSY TRYING TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
AND I'M SO SAD TO SAY THAT I THINK I'M REPEATING THAT CYCLE, NOT PURPOSEFULLY, BUT BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS, IT MEANS TO DO SOME OF THESE MEANINGFUL INTERACTIONS LIKE HAVING A GIRL'S DAY AND GETTING THEIR NAILS DONE OR GOING OUT.
BUT THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, SHE WAS ABLE TO START TO COMMUNICATE MORE WITH HER DAUGHTER, TO FIND OUT HER LIKES, HER DISLIKES, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT SHE WAS GOING THROUGH IN SCHOOL, THINGS THAT HAD HAPPENED YEARS PRIOR THAT SHE HAD NO IDEA BECAUSE SHE JUST HAD THE TIME TO SIT DOWN AND TALK TO HER KID.
SO THIS IS WHY THIS PROGRAM IS IMPORTANT.
HER SON WHO STRUGGLES WITH THE LEARNING DISABILITY, THIS ONE HITS HOME FOR ME BECAUSE I ALSO HAD A LEARNING DISABILITY GROWING UP.
AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE THEM WILL TELL YOU THAT KIDS CAN BE REALLY TOUGH AND REALLY MEAN, AND IT'S BETTER TO FIT IN THAN TO STAND OUT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE 14, 15 YEARS OLD.
UM, AND SO SHE ALSO SAID THAT HER SON WAS MORE ON THE QUIET SIDE, BUT SHE KNEW WHY HE DIDN'T WANNA SPEAK UP IN CLASS BECAUSE HE WAS AFRAID OF GETTING TEASED IF HE DIDN'T READ THE SENTENCE CORRECTLY OR IF HE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION.
AND AGAIN, WITH THIS FUNDING, SHE WAS ABLE TO GET A PERSONAL TUTOR.
AND SO THIS WAS LIKE A HARVARD STUDENT WHO WOULD COME OVER TWICE A WEEK AND SHE WAS ONLY PAYING HIM, SHE SAID $25, BUT THAT SHE HAD IT TO ACTUALLY PAY.
AND THANKFULLY THE HARVARD STUDENT HAD THE TIME TO COME AND COMMIT DURING THIS TIME AS HER SON WAS GETTING TUTORED.
SHE ALSO SEEN HIM COME OUT OF HIS SHELL.
UH, THIS WAS A FEW YEARS AGO BEFORE THEY HAD PASSED THE LAW THAT LIKE, UM, YOU DON'T HAVE TO PASS THE MAS.
SO HE HAD TRIED THREE TIMES PRIOR, THE FOURTH TIME HE PASSED.
AND SHE WAS REALLY, REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
AND HE WAS EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
UM, THIS WAS A BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT.
SHE WAS ALSO ABLE TO THROW HIM A SURPRISE PARTY, CONGRATULATIONS FOR PASSING THE MCAS BECAUSE SHE HAD THESE FUNDS.
SO WHEN WE ARE THINKING ABOUT THE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL PART OF IT AND HOW OUR FAMILIES ARE AFFECTED, HOW MONEY CAN BE SUCH A POLARIZING THING AT THE CEOC, I'M DOING COACHING SESSIONS DAILY WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO LIVE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES WHEN I SAY, OKAY, NOW IT'S TIME FOR US TO DO YOUR CREDIT REPORT.
AND THEY SHIVER AND THEY SHAKE PARTLY BECAUSE THEY'RE AFRAID TO BE JUDGED.
AND THE OTHER PART IS, IS THAT WHAT THEY DON'T SEE AND WHAT THEY DON'T KNOW, THEY FEEL LIKE IT CAN'T HURT THEM.
AND SO WE TRY VERY HARD TO MAKE IT A SAFE SPACE SO THAT WHEN THEY COME IN, WE CAN GIVE THEM THE BEST HELP AND CARE THAT THEY NEED.
BUT THE REALITY IS, IS WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE MONEY, WHEN YOU GROW UP IN A CITY.
AND, UH, THE OTHER FAMILY THAT I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO REALLY TALK ABOUT, BUT I'LL JUST SAY A QUOTE THAT THEY TOLD ME QUICKLY,
[00:50:01]
WHICH IS THAT THEY GOT SOMETHING FROM A DAVE CHAPPELLE SKIT THAT WHEN YOU GROW UP IN A PLACE WHERE YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE OR YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE ONE OF THE ONLY ONES WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH MONEY, IT FEELS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.SO IN CONTEXT TO THE QUOTE DAVE CHAPPELLE SPOKE ABOUT GROWING UP IN DC AND THAT MOST PEOPLE THOUGHT HE ACTUALLY GREW UP IN A ROUGH AREA AND HE DIDN'T.
BUT HE JUST LET PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE HIS REALITY WAS THAT HIS PARENTS MADE JUST ENOUGH TO LIVE IN A REALLY GOOD COMMUNITY AND STILL BE POOR.
AND SO THE REALITY IS, IS THAT WHEN HE SHOWED UP TO SCHOOLS, HE SHOWED UP AS A POOR PERSON.
THIS HAPPENS IN CAMBRIDGE AS WELL.
WE KNOW THAT THERE IS A LOT OF WEALTH HERE, BUT THERE IS ALSO A LOT OF NEED.
AND SO WHEN WE'RE SENDING OUR KIDS TO SCHOOL WITH EVERYBODY ELSE, WHAT THEY HAVE ON THEIR MENTAL IS DIFFERENT FROM THE KIDS WHO HAVE ON THEIR MENTAL, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
SO IF WE HAVE A KID WHO GREW UP IN LET'S SAY JEFFERSON PARK IN NORTH CAMBRIDGE OR UM, AND THEN WE HAVE SOMEONE WHO GREW UP ON HERE ON AVE WHO OWNS A HOUSE, THE WAY THAT THEY'RE SHOWING UP PREPARED FOR SCHOOL, THE WAY THAT THEY'RE SHOWING UP DRESSED EVEN FOR SCHOOL, WILL BE VASTLY DIFFERENT.
AND IF YOU FEEL LIKE THAT, THEY MAY NOT UNDERSTAND OR NOTICE IT, I'M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT THEY DO NOTICE IT, THEY UNDERSTAND IT FULLY, AND IT AFFECTS THEM IN A VERY DEEP LEVEL.
SO AS TINA SAID, WE KNOW OBVIOUSLY THAT EXTRA MONEY EACH MONTH IS GOING TO BE HELPFUL FINANCIALLY, BUT WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING PIECE OF OUR KIDS, OF OUR STUDENTS, OF OUR FAMILIES, I ASK THAT YOU THINK ABOUT THAT PORTION AS WELL.
THANK YOU SO MUCH AND APPRECIATE, UM, TINA AND SHAQUILA YOU ALL SPEAKING A LITTLE MORE TO THE PERSONAL PIECE.
I WILL GO AHEAD AND OPEN UP THE CONVERSATION FOR COUNCIL DISCUSSION JUST TO KNOW ALSO, I THINK WE'RE GONNA BE OKAY ON TIME.
UM, SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO THAT AS WE DON'T HAVE PUBLIC COMMENTS.
SO ANYONE CURRENTLY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER HAS HIS HAND RAISED.
THANKS, UH, MADAM CHAIR AND THANK YOU TO THE PRESENTERS ON, UH, THE PROGRAM.
UM, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OF THE, THE TIME.
IT'S GREAT TO, UM, SEE THE REVIEW AND THE, THE RESEARCH ON THIS.
I'VE BEEN TO, UH, A COUPLE OF OTHER LUNCH AND LEARNS AND PRESENTATIONS ON IT AND, UH, EACH TIME INTERESTING TO, TO SEE THE EVALUATION ON IT.
UH, I WOULD SAY IT JUST CONFIRMS, UM, YOU KNOW, MY, MY SUPPORT OF THE RISE PROGRAM AND OUR, OUR HOPE WE CAN, UH, CONTINUE TO REESTABLISH IT, UH, BASICALLY AFTER THE, THE ARPA FUNDING OF THE INITIAL PILOT, UM, TO, TO GET SOMETHING GOING THROUGH THE CITY BUDGET PROCESS.
I THINK THERE COUPLE PIECES THAT JUST MAKES SO MUCH SENSE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PROGRAM.
THE ONE IS, UH, UH, FROM A, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF RESEARCH NOW AROUND, UH, DIRECT TRANSFER, DIRECT CASH TRANSFERS, UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME, UH, PROGRAMS SHOWING, YOU KNOW, THE, THE EFFECTIVENESS OF IT, THE, OF GIVING FUNDING DIRECTLY TO PEOPLE AND ALLOWING THEM TO DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES USING, YOU KNOW, THEMSELVES AS THE BEST INFORMATION DECISION MAKERS, WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE.
ALSO, UH, JUST THE EFFICIENCY OF THE PROGRAM OF YOU DON'T, YOU NEED LESS ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT TO REVIEW TONS OF APPLICATIONS TO FIGURE OUT IF THE PERSON IS QUALIFYING FOR THIS, THIS SPECIFIC HEATING OR HOUSING OR CHILDCARE ASSISTANCE.
YOU'RE JUST GIVING THEM, UH, THE FUNDING DIRECTLY.
AND, AND THERE ARE A BUNCH OF ADVANTAGES TO DOING THAT.
UM, NOT TO SAY THOSE OTHER PROGRAMS ARE BAD, OBVIOUSLY.
UM, AND THEN THE, THE SECOND PART IS JUST THE, THE HUMAN ELEMENT OF IT, RIGHT? I THINK ABOUT THIS AS, UH, SOMEONE WHO GREW UP IN A FAMILY THAT, UH, DEPENDED ON, UM, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS OF, UH, JUST TRUSTING FAMILIES, KNOWING THEM THAT THEIR, YOU KNOW, SITUATION CHANGES MONTH TO MONTH, WEEK TO WEEK.
SOMETIMES WHAT YOU NEED THE ASSISTANCE FOR YOU CAN JUST VARY A LOT BASED ON WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOUR LIFE.
AND TO, TO TRUST OUR RESIDENTS TO BE THE BEST DECISION MAKERS ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE, WHETHER THEY'RE GONNA NEED THIS FOR CHILDCARE OR FOR A JOB TRAINING PROGRAM OR FOR HOUSING ASSISTANCE.
AND TO, TO FIGURE THAT OUT, UM, MAKES A TON OF SENSE TO, TO BE WITH FOLKS.
AND, YOU KNOW, ALL THE FOLKS I HAVE WORKED WITH IN CAMBRIDGE AND KNOCKED ON THEIR DOOR AND TALKED WITH THEM, THEY, THEY HAVE A VARIETY OF OF NEEDS, BUT THEY'RE ALL, UH, REALLY WORKING HARD ON THEM AND, AND NAVIGATING IT AND, AND, YOU KNOW, DOING IT IN AN INCREDIBLY SOPHISTICATED WAY.
AND, UM, THIS RESEARCH SORT OF BACKS UP THAT, THAT INTUITIVE UNDERSTANDING OF, UM, YOU KNOW, MY OWN EXPERIENCE AND OF WORKING WITH FAMILIES IN CAMBRIDGE.
SO THANKS FOR FOR TAKING THE TIME TO, TO TALK THROUGH THIS.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK ON IT.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? YEAH, COUNCILLOR NOLAN, THANKS.
UM, I DO HAVE A QUESTION ON THIS STUDY.
FIRST OF ALL, THANKS FOR WORKING ON THIS.
[00:55:01]
IMPORTANT TO HAVE THIS DATA.THERE WAS SOMETHING LIKE 17 OR 1800 FAMILIES, BUT ONLY 1200 WERE IN THE, IN THE STUDY GROUP, WHICH SURPRISED ME BECAUSE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A HUNDRED PERCENT IN MY VIEW.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, WE, IT WOULD BE REALLY, WE KNOW WHO THEY ARE.
AND THEN FOR A COUPLE OF THE WAVE ONE AND WAVE TWO, IT LOOKED LIKE WAVE ONE.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT THAT WAVE ONE WAS, IF THAT'S THE, UM, WAVE ONE MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE, THE RESPONSE TO THE ONLINE SURVEY, WHICH IS WHERE WE GOT THE ACTUAL DATA OF PEOPLE, RIGHT? SO IF I COULD, THERE'S, THERE'S NOT SPECIFICITY IN HERE OF WHEN THAT WAS.
AND IT SAYS THAT WAS 60% OF THE STUDY GROUP, BUT THAT'S ONLY 30% OF THE 1800.
SO I'M JUST CURIOUS ON THAT AND AGAIN, WHY IT WASN'T MORE OVERALL FOR EVERYBODY AND THEN WHAT WAVE ONE AND WAVE TWO, EACH OF THEM WERE A SIGNIFICANTLY LESS PERCENTAGE OF THE OVERALL.
AND WHETHER THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PEOPLE WHO FILLED OUT THOSE SURVEYS, HOW DID WE CONTROL TO SEE WHETHER THEY WERE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PEOPLE IN THE OVERALL STUDY? 'CAUSE THOSE ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR STUDIES.
UM, THE, THOSE ARE GREAT QUESTIONS.
I, IS IT, IS IT ALL RIGHT IF I ANSWER? I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE PROTOCOL IS.
UM, I, I WILL START THE ANSWER, BUT I WILL ALSO CALL ON MY COLLEAGUE, UM, KATERINA TO RESPOND TO SOME OF THE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF WAVE ONE AND WAVE TWO.
UM, SO TO YOUR FIRST QUESTION, UM, A ABOUT 1200, UH, OR CLOSE TO 1300, UM, PARTICIPANTS IN THE STUDY VERSUS THE POPULATION OF RISE UP, UM, PARTICIPANTS.
SO STUDY PARTICIPATION IS VOLUNTARY.
WE DON'T COMPEL PEOPLE, IT'S NOT REQUIRED THAT SOMEBODY HAS TO BE A PART OF A STUDY IN ORDER TO BE PART OF THE PROGRAM.
AND SO WE CAN ONLY SURVEY INTERVIEW FOLKS WHO CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY.
THAT'S WHY YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS AND THEN, UM, COMPARED TO THE THE STUDY PARTICIPANTS.
UM, I THINK PART OF THE SECOND QUESTION YOU ASKED WAS ABOUT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT PARTICIPATED IN EACH WAVE OF THE SURVEY.
AND AGAIN, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO KATARINA TO SAY MORE ABOUT THAT.
BUT, UM, IN GENERAL, WHEN WE DO LONGITUDINAL STUDIES, IT'S COMMON TO HAVE DROP OFF.
SO FEWER PEOPLE TEND TO PARTICIPATE IN SUBSEQUENT ROUNDS OF DATA COLLECTION.
THAT IS A, A COMMON, UM, RESEARCH, UH, UH, OCCURRENCE.
AND I THINK, UM, CINA, MAYBE YOU COULD SAY A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE TIMELINE FOR THE WAVE ONE AND WAVE TWO SURVEY AND ALSO THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF WHO PARTICIPATED.
UH, YES, SURE THING, UM, FOR THESE QUESTIONS.
UH, SO THE WAVE ONE SURVEY, UH, WAS FIELDED ABOUT A YEAR APPROXIMATELY INTO WHEN UH, FOLKS WERE RECEIVING THEIR PAYMENTS, UM, AND WAS INTENDED TO KIND OF GET AN EARLY SNAPSHOT, UH, DURING THE PAYMENT PERIOD.
AND IT WAS TARGETED TO A RANDOMLY SELECTED SUBSET OF THE OVERALL STUDY SAMPLE.
UM, WAVE TWO SURVEY WAS THE MAIN SURVEY EFFORT, WHICH WAS FIELDED ABOUT SIX MONTHS AFTER PAYMENTS ENDED, UH, TO EVERYONE THAT WAS ELIGIBLE FOR THE SURVEY AMONG THE STUDY SAMPLE TO GET A, A FULLER PICTURE OF USE OF PAYMENTS THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAM AND HOW HOUSEHOLDS WERE DOING AFTERWARDS.
IN BOTH CASES, WE SENT TO EVERYONE THAT WAS ELIGIBLE, UM, BUT AS OFTEN WITH SURVEYS, UH, A HUNDRED PERCENT RESPONSE RATE CAN BE DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE.
UM, WE AS MENTIONED GOT AROUND A OVER 60% RESPONSE RATE AND FOR EACH SURVEY WE DID COMPARE, UM, CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONDENTS TO NON-RES RESPONDENTS AND TO THE LARGER STUDY SAMPLE.
UM, WHILE THERE WERE SOME SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES, UH, UH, AS A WHOLE, WE FOUND THAT THE SURVEY SAMPLE WAS VERY SIMILAR TO THE LARGER STUDY SAMPLE ON A LOT OF KEY CHARACTERISTICS.
UM, AND IF THOSE DETAILS ARE OF INTEREST, WE HAVE UM, SOME TABLES IN THE APPENDIX OF THE REPORT THAT, UH, DIG INTO THOSE CHARACTERISTICS.
I JUST WANNA FOLLOW UP SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE DIDN'T, IT WASN'T A REQUIREMENT OF THE STUDY.
'CAUSE OFTEN IT IS A REQUIREMENT OF THE STUDY TO PARTICIPATE IN JUST A COUPLE TOUCH POINTS.
AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THE WAVE ONE SURVEY YOU SAID WAS NOT SENT TO ALL 1200, IS THAT RIGHT? AND, AND IT WAS SENT TO A RANDOMLY SURPRISED WHY IT'S SENT TO WHAT YES, IT WAS SENT TO A RANDOMLY SELECTED SUBSET, UH, I I BELIEVE TO CONSERVE RESOURCES FOR THE WAVE TWO SURVEY.
I I, AND THE REASON I ASK IS IT SAYS 409 RESPONDENTS, WHICH WAS 63% OF THE SAMPLE, BUT THE SAMPLE IS EITHER 1,286 OR 1700.
SO IT JUST DIDN'T, THOSE NUMBERS DIDN'T ADD UP.
SO I'M, I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT IS THAT, THAT, THAT GOT THERE.
IT, IT WOULD, MAYBE I SHOULD LOOK AT THE WHOLE APPENDIX.
DOES THAT HAVE ALL THE DATA IN IT?
[01:00:01]
OH, YES.THAT HAS MORE DETAILS ON THE RESPONDING CHARACTERISTICS.
AND SORRY, JUST TO CLARIFY, UM, THOSE PERCENTAGES ARE AMONG THE FIELDED SAMPLE.
SO NORMALLY WE REPORT ON THE NUMBER THAT, UM, WAS REACHED OUT TO AND THAT RESPONDED FROM THAT GROUP.
IT, IT WOULD JUST BE HELPFUL TO KNOW THEN WHY THAT WASN'T THE ENTIRE SAMPLE.
'CAUSE, UM, AND THEN I I WILL SAY IT'S, IT'S THRILLING.
UM, I DO THINK ONE OF THE, UM, UH, QUESTIONS RIGHT UP FRONT WAS SINCE THERE'S NO CONTROL SAMPLE, IT'S REALLY HARD TO USE THIS DATA IN A WAY THAT ANOTHER SAMPLE WOULD.
I MEAN, THE REALITY IS OUR, OUR PILOT, WHICH DID HAVE A CONTROL, DID NOT SHOW VERY MANY RESULTS, BETTER RESULTS FOR THE TREATMENT GROUP VERSUS THE CONTROL GROUP.
THERE WERE SOME AREAS IN WHICH THE TREATMENT DID A LITTLE BETTER AND THEN THERE WERE SOME AREAS THE CONTROL GROUP DID BETTER THAN THE TREATMENT GROUP.
AND PART OF WHAT I THINK WE LEARNED FROM THAT IS THERE ARE REAL WAYS, WHICH CAME OUT OF THIS STUDY TOO, TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL COACHING, TO PROVIDE SOME PLANNING FOR PEOPLE.
THAT'S ALL SOMETHING THAT IT SEEMS ACROSS THE BOARD FOR CONTROLLER TREATMENT IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TO IDENTIFY AND TO, AND TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT IS THAT WE HELP THEM, UH, MOVE FORWARD IN THEIR LIVES.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO DIGGING INTO THE APPENDIX AND DATA.
AND I WILL SAY THAT THE NATIONAL LEVEL DATA ALSO SHOWS VERY SIMILAR, THAT THERE'S NOT LONG-TERM RESULTS.
THERE'S THE ONE SURVEY I'M AWARE OF, UNLESS THERE'S MORE THAT WE KNOW OF, WAS ACTUALLY FOR THREE YEARS WITH A THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH AND CAME UP WITH SIMILAR, NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S A LOT OF CONCERN WITHIN THIS COMMUNITY THAT THERE'S SOME GOOD DATA THAT IT HELPS AND THERE'S SOME INFORMATION ABOUT ARE THERE OTHER WAYS THE FINANCIAL, CERTAINLY THE CHILDCARE IS SOMETHING EVERYBODY APPRECIATES.
THAT'S SOMETHING I THINK THAT WE KNOW FROM ALL THE RESEARCH AND DATA TOTALLY HELPS.
SO I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN, IN DIGGING IN AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT ELEMENTS OF THIS WE WOULD BE ABLE TO REPLICATE AND ACTUALLY HAVE THE TRAJECTORY CHANGE OF PEOPLE'S LIVES.
'CAUSE I THINK THERE IS SOME DATA HERE THAT LEADS TO THAT, LIKE FINANCIAL, UM, SUPPORT AND PLANNING AND MAYBE JOB TRAINING AND ALSO CHILDCARE.
UM, SO, UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UM, I FELT, I FELT COMPLICATED ABOUT, UM, ABOUT A LOT OF THE, ABOUT A LOT OF THE RESULTS THAT I THINK WE'RE DISCUSSING.
AND, AND I WOULD SAY EVEN COMING INTO THIS ROLE IN THE FALL OF 2022, UM, I'D BEEN AN ENORMOUS, UM, FAN OF CASH TRANSFER INTERNATIONALLY, WHICH IS WHERE IT REALLY STARTED.
AND A LOT OF THE RESEARCH THAT CAME OUT OF THOSE PROGRAMS SHOWED REALLY TREMENDOUS IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS A NUMBER OF MEASURES.
UH, WHEN, YOU KNOW, WHEN I STARTED, UH, WORKING FOR THE CITY, WE WERE FINALIZING THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PLANS FOR RISE UP BETWEEN THE CITY, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, CEOC.
AND, UM, AND WHEN WE WERE HAVING THOSE INITIAL CONVERSATIONS, I FELT LIKE IT WAS ACTUALLY REALLY CRITICAL THAT GIVEN THE SIZE OF THE PROGRAM, WE INCLUDE A RESEARCH COMPONENT.
AND THE CITY ENDED UP PROVIDING, UH, $500,000.
UM, THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION STEPPED UP AND, UM, AND I REALLY APPRECIATED THE PARTNERSHIP, UM, FOR CCF AND CEOC TO BE REALLY ENGAGED ON THE RESEARCH, UH, FOR MDRC, FOR THE THOUGHTFUL AND DILIGENT WORK OVER THESE LAST YEARS.
AND THIS RESEARCH SHOWS, YOU KNOW, THAT CASH TRANSFER CAN HELP PROVIDE SOME LEVEL OF STABILITY FOR LOW INCOME FAMILIES.
IT SHOWS THAT FAMILIES WHEN GIVEN A CHOICE, HAVE A BROAD RANGE OF NEEDS, NEEDS, WHETHER THAT'S GROCERY, GROCERIES OR RENT, OR THE DIGNITY OF TAKING THEIR CHILDREN TO MOVIES OR ON A VACATION.
YOU KNOW, ALL OF THESE ARE REALLY GOOD THINGS THERE, THINGS THAT WE HOPE THAT ALL FAMILIES HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO DO.
UM, AND IT SHOWS HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO BE LIVING ON INCREDIBLY LOW INCOMES, ESPECIALLY IN AN EXPENSIVE CITY LIKE CAMBRIDGE.
AND IN SOME WAYS, YOU KNOW, THAT ACTUALLY IS WHAT WE HAVE DESIGNED INTO OUR CITY.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE EXPLICITLY SAID THAT PART OF THE MISSION THAT THE CITY, UH, PUTS IN PLACE THROUGH OUR INVESTMENTS IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE AN E ECONOMIC DIVERSITY WITHIN OUR CITIES, AND THAT LOW INCOME FAMILIES CAN BE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, AND IT DOES MEAN THAT WE THEN HAVE THESE ENORMOUS GAPS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO, TO ADDRESS AS WELL.
UM, YOU KNOW, THIS DISCUSSION IS REALLY FOCUSED ON THE PROGRAM THAT WE IMPLEMENTED THIS RESEARCH REPORT IS, IS FOCUSED ON THAT.
UM, I THINK IT IS HARD TO FULLY MEASURE SOME OF THE IMPACTS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THIS PROGRAM WAS REALLY MEANT TO INCLUDE ALL FAMILIES THAT QUALIFIED, WHICH IS VERY UNIQUE.
UM, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE A CONTROL.
WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A WAY TO FULLY MEASURE FOR THE SAME FAMILIES.
WHAT WAS THE IMPACT IF YOU WERE IN THE PROGRAM OR NOT IN THE PROGRAM? UM, AND IT'S TRUE THAT OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, AND I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING
[01:05:01]
THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM, YOU KNOW, 2022 WHEN WE WERE STARTING, THERE WASN'T A LOT OF RIGOROUS RESEARCH INTO THE IMPACT OF CASH TRANSFER IN THE UNITED STATES.AND, UM, AND SINCE, YOU KNOW, SINCE OVER THE LAST PROBABLY TWO YEARS, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF RESEARCH THAT'S COME OUT.
UM, YOU KNOW, BABY'S FIRST YEAR WAS A PROGRAM ACROSS FOUR CITIES.
IT WAS A THOUSAND MOTHERS RECEIVING $333 A MONTH COMPARED TO A CONTROL, UH, WHERE MOTHERS WERE RECEIVING $20 A MONTH.
UM, AND I WOULD SAY A LOT OF THESE RESEARCH STUDIES HAVE BEEN VERY CONSISTENT AND, AND PRETTY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'RE SEEING WHERE, YOU KNOW, FAMILIES DEEPLY APPRECIATE BEING PART OF THESE PROGRAMS. UM, BUT IT'S HARD TO MEASURE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON MATERNAL HEALTH, CHILD HEALTH, STRESS, DEPRESSION, RELATIONSHIP QUALITY MEASURES OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT.
UM, THERE'S A STUDY IN COMPTON, CALIFORNIA, $500 A MONTH FOR TWO YEARS THAT ESSENTIALLY FOUND NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON LABOR PARTICIPATION, ASSETS, PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING, FINANCIAL SECURITY, OR FOOD INSECURITY.
UM, AND THEN COUNCILOR NOLAN REFERENCED, UH, OPEN RESEARCH, UH, WHICH WAS A THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH FOR THREE YEARS.
AND SO I THINK, I THINK SOME OF THOSE INITIAL STUDIES, THE CONVERSATION, THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY WAS, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE REALLY HIGH EXPENSES AND, UH, AND POVERTY IS MUCH DEEPER.
$200 A MONTH PROBABLY ISN'T ENOUGH.
THIS WAS A THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH FOR THREE YEARS.
AND AGAIN, FOUND, FOUND BASICALLY NO MEASURABLE IMPROVEMENT COMPARED TO A CONTROL OF $50 A MONTH ACROSS HEALTH, SLEEP, JOBS, EDUCATION, FOOD SECURITY, HOMELESSNESS, PARENTAL SATISFACTION.
THERE WAS AN INITIAL REDUCTION IN STRESS, BUT IT WENT AWAY BY YEAR TWO.
AND I WANNA SAY, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CONVERSATION IN THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY AROUND THESE PROGRAMS IS, IS REALLY QUITE SURPRISING AND CONFUSING TO SEE THESE KINDS OF RESULTS.
AND ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU SEE THESE INCREDIBLY RIGOROUS STUDIES AND YOU COMPARE THEM TO THE STORIES OF FAMILIES THAT ARE ACTUALLY RECEIVING A LIFELINE.
UM, AND IT'S CLEAR THAT PEOPLE ARE USING MONEY WELL, ALL OF THESE PROGRAMS HAVE SHOWN CLEARLY THAT MONEY IS GOING TO BASIC NEEDS STABILIZING PEOPLE'S LIVES, AND THAT THERE'S A MORE DIGNIFIED APPROACH TO THESE KINDS OF PROGRAMS THAN A LOT OF THE MEANS TESTED PROGRAMS THAT EXIST.
UM, AND THAT CASH CAN BE A LIFELINE.
UM, I THINK AS I'VE READ THROUGH A LOT OF THESE STUDIES, I WOULD SAY PEOPLE SEEM TO HAVE REFLECTED THAT FAMILIES ARE BETTER OFF, BUT MAYBE YOUR FRIEND'S GOING THROUGH A REALLY HARD TIME, AND SO YOU GIVE THEM $50 TO HELP.
AND THAT'S, THAT GIVES YOU A FEELING OF DIGNITY THAT YOU CAN HELP SOMEBODY ELSE.
AND YOU'RE STRENGTHENING YOUR COMMUNITY.
YOU KNOW, YOU TAKE YOUR KIDS TO VISIT YOUR, THEIR GRANDPARENTS, YOUR CHILD HAS A HARD DAY AT SCHOOL, SO YOU GO OUT TO DINNER, YOU BRING 'EM TO SEE THE NEW MOVIE.
THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT, AGAIN, WE ALL WANT FOR OUR OWN FAMILIES, BUT THEY ALSO AREN'T THINGS THAT TRANSLATE WELL WHEN WE THINK ABOUT BROADER POLICY PRIORITIES.
AND SO WE'RE NOT SEEING THOSE CHANGES IN ECONOMIC MOBILITY OR JOBS OR CHILD DEVELOPMENT OR, OR STRESS.
AND IN FACT, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE EVER BEEN ON A TRIP TO SEE THE GRANDPARENTS.
IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE YOU LESS STRESSED.
IT CAN MAKE YOU MORE STRESSED.
YOU KNOW, THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT, THAT SORT OF MAKE LIFE RICH.
UM, AND, AND I THINK I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE HOW TOUGH IT IS TO, TO SAY THIS AND TO LOOK AT THAT RESEARCH AND FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T THINK THAT THIS WAS GONNA BE THE RESULTS EITHER.
UM, SO I'D SAY, YOU KNOW, REVIEWING THESE RESULTS, TALKING ABOUT THIS PROGRAM, WHICH I THINK HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE ACCOMPLISHMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY, HAVE BEEN SOME OF MY, LIKE, HARDEST AND, AND SORT OF MOST CONFLICTED MEETINGS BECAUSE I REALLY BELIEVE THAT WE DO SO MUCH FOR LOW INCOME FAMILIES IN THIS COMMUNITY.
WHETHER THAT'S HOUSING, RENTAL RELIEF PROGRAMS, FREE EARLY CHILDHOOD, SUBSIDIZED AFTER SCHOOL SUMMER CAMPS.
UM, THERE IS NOT A COMMUNITY IN THE COMMONWEALTH THAT I THINK PROVIDES AS MUCH SUPPORT, AND YET IT'S SO MUCH NOT ENOUGH.
AND, AND YOU CAN KIND OF HEAR IT IN THE STORIES THAT ARE BEING DOCUMENTED.
UM, AND AS MUCH AS $500 A MONTH REPRESENTS, IT ISN'T ENOUGH FOR THAT.
AND SO I THINK PART OF MY QUESTION IS ALSO WHAT'S THE ROLE OF THE CITY? UM, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT HOW THE CITY HAS TO DO MORE, DO BETTER, FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO, TO, TO BE INVOLVED IN.
AND I THINK SOMETIMES I DO FEEL LIKE IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE MORE CLEAR ABOUT WHICH PROBLEMS THE CITY CAN ACTUALLY SOLVE, LIKE FULLY SOLVE.
AND IT'S REALLY HARD WHEN WE TRY TO TACKLE SOMETHING LIKE POVERTY, UM, AND, AND WE SAY, BUT WE ARE MAKING SOME IMPACT.
WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA DO A LITTLE BIT MORE.
UM, I THINK THAT PUTS US IN A TOUGH SPOT.
AND I'M OPEN TO HOW WE CONTINUE TO LEARN TO WRESTLE WITH THIS RESEARCH AND, AND HOW WE THINK ABOUT THIS PROGRAM AND WHERE TO GO NEXT.
UH, AND ALL THE RESEARCH THAT'S HAPPENING ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
[01:10:01]
TAKEAWAY, AND I THINK THIS IS WHERE MORE OF THE CASH TRANSFER WORK IS MOVING, IS TO BE MORE CONCRETE AND TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO NARROW SOME OF THE, THE IMPACT THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO HAVE.UM, THERE'S A RECENT PROGRAM IN FLINT, MICHIGAN THAT FOCUSED SPECIFICALLY ON MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH.
AND SO IT'S PROVIDING LOW INCOME PREGNANT WOMEN, $1,500 DURING PREGNANCY, AND THEN $500 A MONTH AFTER BIRTH FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.
AND THEY LOOKED AT THIS PROGRAM AND IT PREVENTED 42 PRETERM BIRTHS, 68 NICU ADMISSIONS, 65 LOW WEIGHT BIRTHS, UH, SAVED $6 MILLION IN HEALTHCARE COSTS, EVICTIONS IN THESE WOMEN AND THEIR CHILDREN WAS NEARLY ELIMINATED DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME.
FOOD ACCESS IMPROVED, POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION FELL.
AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT HOW THEY'RE SCALING THAT PROGRAM ACROSS THE STATE.
SO 11 OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE ADOPTING THIS PROGRAM, OR, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT EXPANSION, POTENTIAL EXPANSION OF UNIVERSAL PRE-K, WHICH CURRENTLY, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU TO THE CITY COUNCIL, THE WORK OF, UH, THE CAMBRIDGE PRESCHOOL PROGRAM.
WE NOW COVER, UH, FREE PRE-K FOR ALL FOUR YEAR OLDS AND LOW INCOME THREE YEAR OLDS.
AND THERE IS AN ABSOLUTELY CRUSHING COST OF CHILDCARE FOR CHILDREN ZERO TO TWO YEARS OF AGE.
AND THAT'S ABSOLUTELY A BURDEN ON FAMILIES.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY WRAP OUR ARMS AROUND.
AND, YOU KNOW, IF WE WERE TO EXPAND TO TWO YEAR OLDS, YOU KNOW, FOR LOW INCOME FAMILIES, THAT IS A TREMENDOUS IMPACT THAT WE COULD FULLY RESOLVE.
NOW, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO ADDRESS EVERY ASPECT OF THE FINANCIAL BURDENS OF RAISING CHILDREN, BEING A FAMILY IN OUR COMMUNITY, BUT WE CAN ADDRESS THE COST OF CHILDCARE.
UM, AND SO I THINK, I THINK THOSE ARE KIND OF THE THOUGHTS IN MY MIND AS I KIND OF DIGEST THIS REPORT AND LOOK AT SORT OF THE BROADER RESEARCH ON CASH TRANSFERS.
YOU KNOW, I HEAR FROM THE CITY COUNCILORS A LOT ABOUT HOW WE NEED TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF OUR, THE IMPACT OF OUR WORK MORE.
WE NEED TO LOOK AT OUR DATA TO LEARN AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS.
AND I THINK THIS IS, THIS IS KIND OF THE HARD WORK AS WE, AS WE THINK ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE PROGRAM AND WHERE TO MOVE FROM THERE, WHAT WE LEARN AND, AND HOW WE BUILD ON IT.
AND WE ARE IN A MUCH MORE FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED ENVIRONMENT THAN WHEN WE HAD $88 MILLION OF ARPA FUNDING TO WORK WITH.
AND SO I THINK IT'S EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAT WE ARE DIRECTING OUR RESOURCES TOWARDS, YOU KNOW, INITIATIVES THAT, THAT REALLY MARRY, NOT JUST, I THINK THE IMPACT THAT WE KNOW WE'RE HAVING ON SPECIFIC FAMILIES, BUT, BUT SOME SORT OF SENSE OF LIKE, THERE IS PRIORITY, THERE IS LIKE A POLICY PRIORITY THAT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SEE REFLECTED IN THE PROGRAMS THAT WE PUT OUT.
UM, SO I THINK THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE SORT OF MY THOUGHTS AS I'VE BEEN WRESTLING WITH, YOU KNOW, THE RESEARCH THAT'S COMING OUT IN THE BROADER FIELD.
UM, AND, AND LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE DISCUSSION.
DO WE HAVE ANYONE ONLINE FOR COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? OKAY.
SO I JUST HAVE TWO QUICK QUESTIONS.
I'M CURIOUS TO HEAR, UM, DO YOU BELIEVE THAT 18 MONTHS IS A LONG ENOUGH TIME TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE LONG-TERM OUTCOMES OR IMPACTS? I KNOW THAT WAS ONE OF THE TAKEAWAYS, IS HARDER TO DEFINE OR UNDERSTAND THE LONG-TERM OUTCOMES? I, IS THAT A QUESTION FOR THE RESEARCHERS? YES.
UM,
BUT, UM, MANY THINGS CAN HAPPEN, UM, SHORT TERM OR BEYOND THAT THAT CAN SHAPE PEOPLE'S LIVES.
SO I, I THINK SOME OF THE OTHER, UM, FOLKS WHO GAVE TESTIMONY TALKED ABOUT, UH, PARENTS MAKING INVESTMENTS IN CHILDREN, SOME OF THOSE, IT, IT JUST MIGHT TAKE LONGER TO BE ABLE TO SEE SOME DIFFERENCES.
BUT I THINK OVERALL, I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE OUR STUDY WAS REALLY CONFINED TO THIS IMMEDIATE PERIOD AFTER THE PROGRAM, I DON'T WANNA SPECULATE TOO MUCH ABOUT WHAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAPPEN BEYOND, BUT MORE RESEARCH MIGHT BE NEEDED IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND SOME OF WHAT HAPPENS MORE LONG TERM.
IT'S HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND THAT.
I KNOW, BECAUSE IF, IF WE'RE MAKING THAT ASSESSMENT IMMEDIATELY AFTER, UM, WE CAN'T NECESSARILY UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS IN WHATEVER CATEGORY FROM, UM, HOW IT'S GONNA AFFECT SOMEONE'S CHILD, AS WE HEARD FROM YOU ALL AS WELL.
UM, ALSO CURIOUS ON SLIDE 30, ARE YOU ABLE TO WALK US THROUGH WHAT FACTORS MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO THE PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS WITH INCOMES BELOW THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL INCREASING OVER TIME? I RECOGNIZE
[01:15:01]
THE BULLET UNDERNEATH IT MIGHT BE ONE OF THOSE FACTORS, BUT IT, ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL, OR ALSO A QUESTION TO THE RESEARCHERS? UM, SLIDE 30 IS RELATED TO IMPLEMENTATION, BUT I, IT MIGHT BE A DIFFERENT SLIDE FOR YOU.I HAVE HOUSEHOLD INCOME CHANGES OVER TIME.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
SO, UM, I'LL, I'LL OFFER SOME, UM, COMMENTS, BUT I ALSO INVITE MY COLLEAGUE KATERINA TO OFFER SOME COMMENTS AS WELL.
UH, SO ONE THING THAT, UH, WE TOUCHED ON IS THE FACT THAT, UH, THE AMOUNT OF INCOME THAT IS REQUIRED TO KEEP UP WITH THE FEDERAL POVERTY LIMIT INCREASES.
AND IF, UM, YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL OR YOUR HOUSEHOLD INCOME IS NOT INCREASING AS WELL, YOU'RE, YOU'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO FALL FARTHER BEHIND.
SO LET ME SAY THAT A DIFFERENT WAY.
SO AS THE COST OF LIVING GOES UP, IF YOUR INCOME IS NOT ALSO RISING, YOU'RE GOING TO STRUGGLE TO MEET OR STAY ABOVE THE FEDERAL POVERTY LINE.
AND I THINK THE SECOND PART OF YOUR QUESTION WAS RELATED TO SOME FACTORS THAT MIGHT INFLUENCE SOME OF THE INCOME CHANGES.
SO I CAN SPEAK TO, UM, SOME OF THE QUALITATIVE DATA.
SO INTERVIEWS, FOCUS GROUPS, SOME OF THE STORYTELLING, AND, UM, I TRY TO TOUCH ON SOME OF THIS IN THE PRESENTATION, BUT I THINK WHAT WE SEE ARE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO HAVE, UM, COMPLICATED LIVES AND CHALLENGING LIVES.
SO THERE ARE FOLKS WHO HAVE JOBS THAT ARE VERY UNPREDICTABLE.
SO A RIDE SHARE DRIVER CAN'T NECESSARILY PREDICT HOW MUCH MONEY THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE, YOU KNOW, DAY TO DAY, WEEK TO WEEK.
THOSE, THOSE TYPES OF, UM, THINGS CAN INFLUENCE HOW MUCH PEOPLE ARE MAKING.
WE ALSO DID SEE, UH, A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCED JOB CHANGES.
I THINK ON THE FOLLOWING SLIDE, I HAD AN EXAMPLE OF SOMEBODY WHO HAD TO CHANGE JOBS AS A RESULT OF, UM, NOT RECEIVING A, A CONTRACT FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
SO THERE WERE A, A, A NUMBER OF FACTORS ALONG THOSE LINES RELATED TO EMPLOYMENT THAT MIGHT AFFECT, UM, PEOPLE'S INCOME.
WE ALSO HAD PEOPLE WHO AGED OUT OF RECEIVING SOME BENEFITS AS WELL.
SO IT'S A LONG-WINDED WAY OF SAYING THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FACTORS THAT CAN INFLUENCE CHANGES IN INCOME AND INCOME RELATIVE TO THE FEDERAL POVERTY LINE.
AND I WOULD JUST ASK KATINA IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD WANT TO ADD? THANKS.
UH, I THINK THAT'S A PRETTY COMPREHENSIVE ANSWER.
I MIGHT JUST ADD, UM, THAT ALSO IF HOUSEHOLD SIZE INCREASES IN THE AMOUNT OF INCOME YOU NEED TO STAY ABOVE THE POVERTY LEVEL, UH, ALSO INCREASES.
UM, SO THAT COULD ALSO BE A FACTOR.
WHAT I'M TAKING AWAY FROM THAT TO SOME EXTENT IS PEOPLE CAN'T KEEP UP.
UM, PEOPLE CAN'T KEEP UP WITH HOW HARD IT IS TO KEEP UP WITH THINGS LIKE RENT OR ACCESSING FOOD THAT'S AFFORDABLE.
AND IT'LL BE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO DEFINE WHAT OUR ROLE IS AS A, AS A CITY.
AND I KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS I ALSO TOOK AWAY IS THAT OUTREACH MATTERS AND ACCESS TO RESOURCES MATTERS AND HOW PEOPLE GET TO THOSE MATTER, UH, THAT PEOPLE RELY ON THEIR BENEFITS, NOT JUST ONE, BUT MULTIPLE OFTENTIMES.
AND I'M RECOGNIZING THAT HOW WE DEFINE THINGS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES IN, RESEARCH WILL MATTER IN THIS CONVERSATION BECAUSE THINGS LIKE QUALITY TIME OR SLEEP OR, YOU KNOW, EVEN HOW THIS MIGHT AFFECT YOUR KID, IT'S HARDER TO MEASURE THOSE THINGS.
UM, AND I DON'T WANT THAT TO GET LOST IN THE CONVERSATION.
SO I APPRECIATE YOU ALL SPEAKING TO THINGS LIKE THE SOCIO-EMOTIONAL PIECE, AND IT'S GONNA BE IMPORTANT FOR US IN, YOU KNOW, IN HOW WE NAVIGATE THIS, UNDERSTAND LIKE, ARE THERE WAYS FOR US TO BE MORE CONCRETE ABOUT HOW WE DEFINE THOSE THINGS SO THAT WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND, UM, IMPACTS, BUT DEFINITELY DON'T WANT THAT TO GET LOST.
UM, ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, CHAIR.
I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF INTANGIBLES THAT ARE IMPORTANT AND I, I'LL JUST SAY, I THINK, UM, HELPING FAMILY STABILIZE AND NOT, YOU KNOW, MOVE DEEPER INTO POVERTY IN OUR CITY, UH, IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
I DO THINK IT'S A POLICY PRIORITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK IT DOES HAVE A SERVE A PUBLIC PURPOSE, UH, YOU KNOW, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT WE CAN START THINKING ABOUT IT IN DIFFERENT WAYS, WHETHER THAT'S THE CHILDCARE PIECE OR, UM, AND SO FORTH.
BUT I ALSO THINK THIS, THE FACT THAT THE FLEXIBLE FUNDING, THE, UM, THE DIGNITY, THE, THE, YOU KNOW, THE LACK OF STIGMA ATTACHED, UH, JUST DOING SOMETHING LIKE THIS WAS REALLY IMPORTANT.
[01:20:01]
THESE ARE FAMILIES WE DON'T SEE OFTEN.UM, WE DON'T HEAR FROM THEM OFTEN, BUT THEY'RE IN OUR CITY, UM, AND, UH, THEY HAVE REAL VOICES.
AND I THINK WITH, UM, DOING SOMETHING LIKE THIS, HELPING THEM DAY TO DAY, AND WE DO A LOT OF LONG TERM, RIGHT? AND I LOVE THAT WE DO LONG TERM AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
WE DO THE UNIVERSAL PREK HUGE INVESTMENT.
WE'LL HAVE TO SEE HOW THAT INVESTMENT ACTUALLY PLAYS OUT.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING THAT WE ARE INVESTING IN AND, UM, THEY'RE LONG TERM WITH A LONG TERM LENS.
AND I THINK I ALWAYS GO BACK TO, OKAY, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO HELP FAMILIES DAY TO DAY? AND I THINK THAT'S THE HARD THING.
UM, I THINK WITH, UM, SEEING FOLKS THAT ARE LESS STRESSED THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, SEEING KIDS WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, MUCH HAPPIER WHEN THEIR PARENTS CAN BE THERE FOR THEM, UM, UH, I THINK IS THESE ARE THESE INTANGIBLES THAT I THINK ARE, UM, REALLY, I THINK IMPORTANT.
AND, UH, SO I DON'T WANT THAT TO GET LO LOST.
AND I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, STABILITY AND MOBILITY ARE NOT THE SAME THING.
AND I THINK THE RESEARCH SHOWS THAT, AND THAT, YOU KNOW, THE PATH FROM ONE TO THE OTHER IS LONG AND IT REQUIRES SUSTAINED, UH, INVESTMENT AND COMMITMENT.
UM, AND I THINK THE QUESTION IS THAT WHAT ARE SOME LONGER TERM STRATEGIES THAT THE CITY, UM, HAS THAT, UH, WE CAN, WE CAN LOOK AT.
UM, AND I THINK THIS DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAS TO BE THE, JUST THE CITY.
I THINK THERE'S THIS FOCUS ON, IT'S JUST ONLY THE CITY.
I DO THINK THERE'S A LOT OF, LIKE IN THE PAST, THERE'S PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, THERE'S OTHER THINGS THAT I THINK, UM, WE CAN START THINKING ABOUT.
AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO LOOK LIKE THIS NECESSARILY, RIGHT? I THINK WE HAVE TO, I THINK WE CAN GET CREATIVE.
UM, SO I WANTED TO JUST SAY THAT, AND THEN I HAD A QUESTION FOR COC.
I THINK, UM, SOME OF THE WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE IN THE PAST HAS BEEN AROUND CASH GRANTS AND OTHER THINGS.
HOW HAS THAT NEED, UM, BEEN, YOU KNOW, OVER THE LAST FEW, FEW YEARS, HAS IT GROWN? UM, FOR CALLS COMING IN ABOUT THAT? IT'S CONSTANT.
AND WE, WE STRUGGLE WITH THE, WE HAVE A, A LIMITED AMOUNT OF MONEY, AND AS SOON AS WE OPEN UP THE CASH GRANT, WHICH WE GIVE $250, UM, WORD GETS OUT AND, AND THEN WE'RE BOMBARDED WITH PEOPLE REACHING OUT.
I'M, I'M AFRAID TO SAY IT OUT LOUD AND ON A PUBLICLY, UH, TELEVISED MEETING.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE TO PAUSE IT A LITTLE BIT TO, TO BE ABLE TO STRETCH THE MONEY A LITTLE BIT FURTHER.
UM, THE NEED IS CONSTANTLY THERE AND PROVIDING THAT, I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT, IT'S IMPORTANT AND WE REALIZE THAT $250 DOESN'T SEEM A LOT TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, BUT THE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GIVE THOSE GRANTS TO, THEY CAN USE IT HOWEVER THEY, THEY NEED, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT.
UM, BUT AGAIN, IT STILL, THEY HAVE TO COME IN AND ASK FOR IT.
AND, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, UM, AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, HELPING PEOPLE COVER THE NEEDS THAT WERE LISTED, HELPING PEOPLE, UH, BY PAYING SOME OF THEIR UTILITY BILL, BY PAYING RENT ARREARAGE, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THE MULTI-SERVICE CENTER AND THE OFFICE OFFICE OF HOUSING LIAISON, UM, YOU KNOW, GIFT CARDS FOR THE, FOR GROCERY STORES, UM, ALL OF THAT TOGETHER AS WELL AS, AS YOU WERE SAYING, COUNSELOR AROUND, UM, HELPING PEOPLE MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE GETTING ALL OF THE PUBLIC BENEFITS THAT THEY'RE ELIGIBLE FOR.
AND NOW, YOU KNOW, BEING CONCERNED AROUND THE, THE, THE WORK REQUIREMENTS AND THE, UM, CHANGES TO SNAP.
UM, SO IT'S TRYING TO BALANCE ALL OF THAT ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS, UM, AND BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE NEED, WHICH IS A REAL CHALLENGE.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THE BENEFITS CLIFF IS A WHOLE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE THAT BY DESIGN OUR POLICY IS MEANT TO KEEP PEOPLE IN POVERTY.
AND I, THAT'S COMPLETELY PROBLEMATIC.
UH, I THINK TO YOUR, WHAT YOU'VE STATED, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE ONE TIME, RIGHT? BUT I DO THINK EVEN THAT, LIKE, AS WE THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE OF WHAT'S NEXT, LIKE, YOU KNOW, AND GIVEN THE FISCAL ENVIRONMENT THAT WE'RE IN, I DO THINK WE CAN GET CREATIVE OF HOW TO SUPPORT OUR BIGGEST ANTI, OUR ANTI-POVERTY AGENCY, UM, TO KEEP BEING ABLE TO HELP PEOPLE, UM, EVEN IF IT'S ONE TIME.
UM, BUT IF IT'S AT, THAT'S AN INCREASED AMOUNT, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, UH, FIGURING OUT A WAY
[01:25:01]
TO SUPPORT YOU ALL, I THINK, UM, IS, IS VITAL.UH, AS I SAID, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF THE DAY TO DAY AND IT'S FOR, THERE'S NO PROGRAM FOR, UM, A, YOU KNOW, GOING TO TAKE YOUR KIDS TO A MOVIE OR, UM, JUST DOING SOMETHING EXTRA FOR YOUR FAMILY WHEN YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE THAT SUPPORT.
AND, UM, BUYING A PAIR OF SNEAKERS,
SO I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT WENT INTO THIS.
THE, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT CHAIRS, UH, FOR BEING ABLE TO GIVE A PLATFORM AND TO DISCUSS THIS RESEARCH.
I KNOW THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE QUESTIONS ABOUT RESEARCH AND OUTSTANDING, UM, KIND OF, UH, INQUIRIES AND SO FORTH.
UH, BUT I THINK THIS WAS A REALLY GOOD, UH, WAY TO GET SOME, GET, GET SOME OF THESE, UM, INITIAL FINDINGS AND THEMES OUT TO THE PUBLIC.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING MORE ON THIS.
I WANT TO FOLLOW UP ON CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE EMOTIONAL AND, AND, AND HOW IT IS THAT IT AFFECTS FAMILY LIFE AND ALSO STRESS LEVELS IN CAST, SINCE, AGAIN, I APOLOGIZE, I DIDN'T READ THE FULL APPENDIX.
DID THIS RESEARCH HAVE QUANTITATIVE DATA ON EXACTLY THAT, ON STRESS LEVELS, UH, LIFE ATTITUDE, COURAGE, AND ALSO FAMILY ENGAGEMENT? AND I ASKED BECAUSE THE, THE, UM, THE PILOT DID HAVE THAT THERE WAS AN EXTENSIVE ARRAY.
THERE WERE NINE MEASURES OF FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.
THERE WAS, UH, UH, INFORMATION GATHERED FROM, YOU KNOW, BASELINE SIX MONTH, 12 MONTH, AND 18 MONTH ON, ON A SENSE OF CHAOS, ON SENSE OF, UM, STRESS LEVELS.
AND, AND, AND PART OF THE QUESTION THERE IS THAT ACTUALLY DID SHOW THAT, THAT THE CONTROL GROUPS DID BETTER ON MANY OF THOSE MEASURES THAN THE TREATMENT GROUP.
SO I'M JUST WONDERING, SINCE THIS WAS A MUCH LARGER STUDY, IF THAT WAS ASKED, AND ALSO ON FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF MEASURES WHERE THE CONTROL GROUP DID BETTER THAN THE TREATMENT GROUP.
SO IF THIS, SINCE IT'S A MUCH LARGER, UM, GROUP, IT WOULD BE GREAT TO KNOW IF THOSE WERE ASKED, THEN HOPEFULLY WE'D SEE A DIFFERENCE THAT AT LEAST ON THIS, EVEN THOUGH THERE WASN'T A CONTROL GROUP, THAT WE WOULD'VE SEEN SOME POSITIVE BENEFIT.
BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THOSE QUESTIONS WERE ASKED SINCE NONE OF IT WAS IN THE SUMMARY.
YEAH, THANK YOU FOR THIS QUESTION.
UM, BUT NINA, PLEASE FEEL FREE, UH, TO JUMP IN.
UH, SO SPEAKING TO SOME OF THE MEASURES ON THE SURVEY, WE DID ASK ABOUT, UM, WE USED A MEASURE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS THAT INCLUDES SEVERAL COMPONENT QUESTIONS.
THEY'RE THEN USED TO CALCULATE AN AVERAGE SCORE, UM, AND A CERTAIN LEVEL INDICATES, UM, GENERALLY PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS.
SO THOSE ARE INCLUDED IN THE SURVEY RESULTS.
UM, BUT AS MENTIONED WITH THE STUDY DESIGN, UH, WE DON'T HAVE A COMPARISON GROUP TO COMPARE TO.
SO IT PROVIDES MORE OF A SNAPSHOT FOR THE STUDY SAMPLE.
UM, AND WHAT WE DO LOOK AT TWO POINTS IN TIME AT WAVE ONE AND WAVE TWO FOR THE SUBSET THAT DID BOTH SURVEYS.
UH, OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE SURVEY ASKED RESPONDENTS TO, SORRY, SORRY, CAN I JUST, IS THERE ALSO A BASELINE? I BELIEVE WE DID NOT COLLECT THIS, UH, INFORMATION AT BASELINE.
THE SURVEY IS A BIT MORE LIMITED, UM, AT THE TIME OF ENROLLMENT.
UH, SO THIS QUESTION WAS FROM THE WAVE ONE AND WAVE TWO SURVEY, AND THEN THE SURVEY ALSO ASKED ABOUT, UM, ASKED RESPONDENTS TO RESPOND WHETHER THEY AGREE OR DISAGREE TO A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT STATEMENTS SUCH AS WHETHER PAYMENTS HELPED, UM, REDUCE STRESS OR ANXIETY, UM, SPEND MORE TIME WITH FAMILY ESTEEMS TO THAT EFFECT.
AGAIN, I'LL LOOK AT THE RESULTS.
I, I, I THINK THAT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE BASELINE AND ALSO THAT THE QUESTIONS WERE NOT ABOUT OVERALL STRESS LEVELS, WHICH IS WHAT THE OTHER STUDIES WERE.
IT'S, YOU KNOW, DID THESE HELP YOU AS OPPOSED TO WHAT IS YOUR STRESS LEVEL? I HOPE THAT IN THE FUTURE, IF WE DO THIS KIND OF RESEARCH THAT WE LOOK CAREFULLY AT THAT I, I'D JUST LIKE TO MAKE ONE POINT, UM, AND IT IS THAT CHART THAT ACTUALLY LOOKS AT THE RELATIVE INCOMES OF FAMILIES.
AND IT IS, UM, IT'S ACTUALLY VERY DISTRESSING CHART BECAUSE IT SHOWS THAT, UM, THOUGH RELATIVELY A SMALL NUMBER, UM, WE HAVE FAMILIES THAT ARE EARNING $350 A MONTH LIVING IN CAMBRIDGE.
AND EVEN IF WE WERE TO PAY FOR EVERY NEED THAT THEY HAVE FROM HOUSING TO CHILDCARE, JUST THE DAY TO DAY-TO-DAY LIVING, AND THIS IS A FAMILY OF, UM,
[01:30:01]
YOU KNOW, UH, A PARENT WITH A CHILD OR A PARENT WITH TWO CHILDREN TO THINK ABOUT JUST BEING ABLE TO PAY FOR SOME VERY BASIC THINGS, SUPPLEMENTING YOUR FOOD, MEDICAL, TRANSPORTATION, A PHONE THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED IN TODAY'S ENVIRONMENT, UH, THAT YOU CAN'T OPERATE WITHOUT CLOTHING FOR YOUR CHILDREN.AND SO I THINK IT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE EITHER HAVE TO LOOK AT STRATEGIES THAT ARE VERY DEFINED TO SOLVE A PARTICULAR PROBLEM.
LIKE MAYBE IT'S JUST SUPPLEMENTING MONEY FOR MORE FOOD, YOU KNOW, AND THEN YOU CAN ACTUALLY STUDY IT AND SEE WHAT DIFFERENCE IT MADE.
UM, THERE'S, TO ME, IT BECOMES LIKE A FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION OF HOW A COMMUNITY WANTS TO SUPPORT ITS RESIDENTS, UH, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO ARE LIVING BELOW THE POVERTY LINE.
UH, AND SO IT'S ALMOST LIKE A, IT'S A MODEL ISSUE AS MUCH AS IT IS A SCIENTIFIC ISSUE OF TRYING TO PROVE, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE EFFECTS OF, UH, HOW WE USE, UM, OUR RESOURCES AS A COMMUNITY.
UM, AND THIS IS REALLY NOT, I THINK WHAT IT SHOWED US, WHAT THIS RESEARCH HAS SHOWED US THAT IT'S NOT ABOUT SOLVING POVERTY, IT'S LITERALLY ABOUT FAMILIES THAT ARE IN CRISIS AND HOW WE ARE SUPPORTING FAMILIES IN CRISIS.
SO I, YOU KNOW, I, I REALLY DO HOPE THAT WE CAN AS A COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, AND I AGREE, IT'S NOT JUST THE CITY'S RESPONSIBILITIES, THE COMMUNITY'S RESPONSIBILITY TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT THESE FAMILIES.
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL ON THAT.
AND I KNOW, I DON'T BELIEVE WE DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS, SO I JUST WANNA, AGAIN, REAC, ACKNOWLEDGE ALL THE PARTNERS THAT HAVE POURED IN SO MUCH TIME AND WORK INTO MAKING THIS HAPPEN.
AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TO SHARE THAT AND THE IMPACTS OF THAT WITH US.
AND WITH THAT, WE'LL, ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER TO ADJOURN.
ABSENT COUNCILLOR MCG ABSENT COUNCILLOR SIMMONS.