TL;DR: Together with Durham residents, partner organizations, and City Council members, we are exploring the possibility of adding up to $1,000,000 to Durham’s Guaranteed Income pilot program in this year’s bugdet!
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Not sure? Read on to learn more about the campaign ⇓

We are fighting for a Durham where everybody can thrive. Where we all have the energy, time, and attention for activities beyond meeting our basic needs, for dreaming and visioning, and for our loved ones.

Currently, too many of us struggle to meet our basic needs as Durham grows rapidly and our wages don’t keep up with the increasing cost of living. Our state legislature doesn’t allow the city to pass a citywide living wage. The market economy we live in prioritizes profit over people. And all of these things are resulting in deepening economic and racial inequality.

While the federal and state governments fail to take care of the people, our City Council has some tools to do so. This year, we will be exploring the possibility of adding up to $1,000,000 to Durham’s Guaranteed Income (GI) pilot program. The pilot ran from February 2023 thru February 2024 and provided $600 per month to 109 formerly incarcerated Durhamites. Participants saw significant improvements in their quality of life, and none of the 109 participants reoffended during their year of receiving GI. 

If we succeed, not only will more of the most financially vulnerable people in Durham get a hand up this year, we will also grow our organized base of working class people of color in Durham’s low income neighborhoods (1000+ of whom we will be talking to during this campaign) to continue the fight for the expansion of GI to other groups.

Our fight for an economy that works for all of us doesn’t start or end with this budget cycle. But every budget is an opportunity to practice solidarity, win the changes that our communities deserve, and build power towards future fights at the city and state levels. Will you join us in the spring and summer of 2024 to fight for more funds for guaranteed income in Durham’s 2024-2025 budget?

There are many ways to get involved — pick as many as you like!