UpTogether

Check out UpTogether CEO Jesús Gerena's op-ed countering negative takes on a widely-covered guaranteed income study: https://hubs.la/Q02NRN8M0

UpTogether CEO Jesús Gerena counters negative takes on a widely-covered guaranteed income study. Direct cash is a powerful tool to address poverty, but it is not a silver bullet. "If you believe people who have limited financial resources should pull themselves up by the bootstraps by working multiple, exploitative jobs, denying themselves leisure time, and spending less time with their families, the results would indeed be disappointing. However, if you believe people experiencing financial hardship deserve dignity and autonomy, the results prove that guaranteed income is a powerful tool," Gerena said.

Happy Labor Day!

“I just had a sigh of relief knowing that that was something that I could count on and be mindful of my spending it. But it let me have that freedom to spend it where I need to, as opposed to I can only spend it on this,” she said. She feels connected to the UpTogether Approach of investing directly in an individual’s strengths and trusting them to be the expert in their own life. Visit our YouTube channel to watch Susana's story: https://hubs.ly/Q02Nglv50

"School was my solace and joy," Susana recalls. Now, she brings that same joy to her students, many of whom share similar backgrounds. Susana used her direct cash investments to stabilize her home life, allowing her to focus on her passion: continuing her education and uplifting her community. Watch Susana's story to learn what happens when we invest directly into a person's strengths and trust them to be the architect of their own life: https://hubs.la/Q02N5Hk-0

We're pleased to see both presidential candidates discuss expanding the Child Tax Credit. We know this works to lift children out of poverty and will be watching the discussion closely.

Susana runs her classroom like she runs her household–emphasizing decisions that lead to success. She used some of her monthly cash investments from the Oakland Resilient Families Guaranteed Income Pilot to maintain her home and cover other expenses. “I just had a sigh of relief knowing that that was something that I could count on and be mindful of my spending it. But it let me have that freedom to spend it where I need to, as opposed to I can only spend it on this,” she said. Visit our YouTube channel to watch Susana's full story: https://hubs.la/Q02MpbdG0

Susana used her direct cash investments to stabilize her home life, allowing her to focus on her passion: continuing her education and uplifting her community. By investing directly into a person’s strengths and trusting them to be the architect of their own life, we’ve seen individuals like Susana flourish. Watch her story on our YouTube channel: https://hubs.la/Q02Mpf-00

"The current welfare system punishes people for getting ahead and keeps them in a cycle of dependance. If a family makes $1 more than allowed, they can lose more in benefits than they earned in increased income. This counterintuitive policy, known as the “benefits cliff,” makes it hard for families to survive, much less thrive," said UpTogether CEO Jesús Gerena. "We need to change our mindset from one that supports giving corporations big tax giveaways and at the same time sees investments in people as a handout with no return." Visit The Blog to read the full post: https://hubs.la/Q02MnVgz0