This past week on Connections, City of Boulder Housing and Human Services Specialist Tiffany Boller reflected on her day-to-day work with the 200 households who participated in the Elevate Boulder guaranteed-income pilot.
Funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Elevate Boulder provided direct cash assistance to low-income residents over a two-year period. The program tested whether predictable, unconditional monthly payments could help families cover basic needs, manage emergencies, and improve overall financial stability. Early findings from similar pilots around the country point to reductions in income volatility, improved mental health, and greater ability to meet essential needs such as rent, childcare, and transportation.
Boller has been a primary point of contact for Elevate Boulder participants since the planning stages in 2022. Alongside colleague Mari Camacho-Carbajal, she staffed the city’s support hub and fielded calls and emails from residents throughout the pilot. In the interview, she describes what she learned from supporting families through the process, where the program eased pressure, and the kinds of questions that came up most often.
The local impact of the pilot also emerges through storytelling. A team of local storytellers was selected to help participants share their experiences in monologues, videos, photos, autobiographies, and podcasts. Excerpts from several of those podcasts, including stories from Alexa Schild, Kellie Cuevas, Andy Masterpiece, and Pauline Santino, are featured during the show, offering firsthand insight into how households used the payments and how financial consistency shaped their decision-making.
Evaluation data shows the pilot had measurable short-term impacts: participants reported fewer difficulties affording basic needs, improvements in food and housing security, reduced psychological distress, and increased overall well-being. Many respondents pursued additional training or education, and nearly all said the monthly payments brought some degree of stability during volatile economic conditions.
At the same time, participants continued to report persistent challenges affording childcare, healthcare, and long-term savings; findings consistent with those from guaranteed-income pilots in Stockton, CA; Denver, CO; Jackson, MS; Rochester, NY; and internationally in Finland and Wales.
As the holiday season brings conversations about gratitude and community support to the forefront, Elevate Boulder adds local data and lived experience to a broader national discussion about how families manage in a high-cost economy and what predictable income can and cannot do within that landscape.
Tiffany Boller shares with KGNU’s Rossana Longo-Better about what city staff observed over two years, and how the program fits within the growing field of guaranteed-income research.
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Connections_2025-11-28 Rossana Longo-Better
