Excel
Launched in March 2022, Durham’s Guaranteed Income Pilot or Excel, provides 109 formerly incarcerated individuals with $600 per month for one year.
SPENDING BREAKDOWN
The data in this pie chart shows aggregate spending for guaranteed income participants in Durham, NC. This includes all non-cash expenditures from the participants’ bank accounts, not just those that are from the guaranteed income they received.
Retail sales and services accounted for the largest share of spending, at 43.77%, followed by Food and groceries (23.63%) and Transport related expenses (12.5%).
CHILD TAX CREDIT
The state of North Carolina saw significant reduction in poverty as a result of the largest, national pilot in the Child Tax Credit that was implemented as a result of the Covid Pandemic.
This program provided tax credit for eligible taxpayers with qualifying children in the form of cash payouts. The credit amount varied based on factors like the number of qualifying children and the taxpayer’s income. It can lower tax liability or result in a tax refund.
During the course of this pilot, it has been proven to reduce poverty for families with dependent children – in every state.
Poverty Rate (Under new tax credit)
12.8%
Percentage point reduction
7.3%
Percent change
36.2%
Poverty Rate (Current Law)
50.1%
DEMOGRAPHICS
Basic Information
sample size (Treatment Group)
900
Avg. Age of Respondent (years)
1
Children in Households
Have Children in Household
1
%
No Children in Household
5
%
Avg. children in Household
1
Avg. Household size
Gender
Male
1
%
Female
5
%
Other
5
%
Ethnicity
Hispanic
1
%
Non-Hispanic
%
Race
White
1
%
African American
5
%
American Indian/ Alaska Native
5
%
Asian
1
%
Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander
5
%
Latino
5
%
Other/ Mixed
5
%
Marital Status
Single
5
%
Married
5
%
Partnered/ in-relationship
5
%
Primary language at Home
English
5
%
Spanish
5
%
Other
5
%
Annual Household Income (in $USD)
Mean
$
14000
Median
$
10800
Featured Story
Tydricka
Tydricka is a mom with a full-time job as a peer support specialist. She was released from prison in 2019, and she hopes that a guaranteed income gives people like herself a nudge in the right direction. She is using some of the money to launch an organization called New Generation, which is aimed at helping young Black girls, ages 7-18, learn life skills. “It’s so significant to myself because of the fact that I will be impacting other little girls around the age when I started making irrational decisions.” Tydricka remembers giving birth handcuffed to a prison bed. “It’s definitely hard, emotional, being away from your loved ones.” Tydricka used her time behind bars to complete a GED and train to become a peer-support specialist. She is now applying her training in prison to the job she wanted in the free world. “I knew I was going to be part of the solution and not the problem.” “I will say I never forget my past, but I look forward and I envision what I want in my life for my future, versus dwelling on my past.”
Tyler spent time in jail and prison on drug charges, and it was not always easy to readjust to society. “After being a heroin addict and an opioid addict for eight years, I kind of got to a point where I was done with it. There were jobs where I got turned down, definitely I got turned down. ‘your background check came through,’ and they said, ‘it’s a little more than we want to take on.’” Tyler was recently able to find a job making $11.50 an hour at a linen rental company. Shortly after that, he heard about the Excel Program and decided to apply. Since March he has been receiving $600 per month in guaranteed income. “It allowed me to have a savings account, like for if something went wrong.” In addition to a financial cushion, he said this program has helped change his outlook on life. “I think being able to surround myself with good people, it keeps me going and keeps my head on straight. I’m always going to have the past I had, but there’s no future that’s set in stone. So, I can make what I want to make out of it.”
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Tyler
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Cooper
Cooper has been through tough times, in and out of jail, homeless, and even sleeping on benches at one point. The guaranteed income, with no strings attached, has completely changed his life. He says StepUp Durham has been a blessing. “The funds are of great benefit to me because they help with my basic necessities like paying my rent,” Cooper said. “My rent is actually $300 a month. The other $300 I try to save or pay off things that I need to get done like getting my license back.” Aside from his rent, Cooper also spends the money on food, clothes, and car rides, given he recently broke his ankle. “Just me breaking my ankle is kinda a setback,” Cooper said. “But it’s not about how you fall. It’s about how you get back up.”
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