ERWG News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Economic Relief Working Group (ERWG) was selected as one of five groups for the “Power of Cash Narrative Grant,” announced by the Economic Security Project (ESP) today. The ERWG was selected from a pool of over 500 guaranteed basic income programs across the country.
Last year the ERWG, made up of immigrant-based organizations and NM Voices for Children, launched the state’s first Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) pilot program for mixed-status immigrant families; 330 families from 13 counties, including Santa Fe, Bernalillo, Doña Ana, Mckinley, Lea, Chaves, San Juan and Rio Arriba.
The ERWG designed the New Mexico pilot with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and UpTogether with the goal of exploring how cash assistance impacts immigrant families that are regularly excluded from traditional economic relief, safety net programs, and worker benefits, such as unemployment insurance. The ERWG is currently surveying participants on how unrestricted cash alters family finances, health and educational outcomes, as well as decisions about work and job training. A preliminary report will be published this summer, and a final evaluation later this year.
The grant will support ERWG’s work to elevate families’ experiences in the program and inform the general public and policy makers about guaranteed basic income, a concept garnering more attention and support nationwide. Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller recently joined Mayors for Guaranteed Income. The City of Santa Fe launched New Mexico’s first government-sponsored GBI project for low-income college students.
“Cash transfers for essential workers excluded from traditional relief programs were a lifeline for tens of thousands of families during the pandemic. It is worth exploring how extending cash programs can make a dent in workers’ long term economic prospects,” said Marcela Díaz, Executive Director of Somos Un Pueblo Unido. “New Mexico has led the way in strong worker protections and immigrant inclusion nationally. GBI is the next frontier.”
“Research shows cash assistance is one of the best ways to both help working families facing challenges and also to boost the economy, but the people best poised to powerfully tell this story and to convey what economic dignity and opportunity can mean for their families are workers and parents themselves,” said Amber Wallin, Executive Director of New Mexico Voices for Children.
In our collective efforts to build a more inclusive and equitable economy in New Mexico– from the passage of paid sick leave and raising the minimum wage, to inclusive economic relief– low-wage immigrant workers have always been at the forefront of creating the narrative shifts necessary for policy change,” emphasized Marian Méndez Cera, Workers’ Justice Coordinator with El CENTRO de Igualdad y Derechos.” This project will help us to demonstrate that GBI is a proven way to stimulate the economy, lift families out of poverty, and is a non-paternalistic approach that offers dignity and self-determination.”
“Only by strengthening the storytelling muscles of our community can we start to put a face to the struggle and counter the narratives that have harmed our communities. I am excited to see how the storytellers in this program will collaborate and create new pathways for our communities to share impactful stories,” said Dr. Aisha Nyandoro, CEO of Springboard Opportunities and Co-chair of Guaranteed Income Communities of Practice.
“GBI projects nationwide are rewriting the narrative regarding cash transfers. Community voices shaped this work in New Mexico, and it is those leader stories of impact that breathe power into this movement. The testament of lived experience is THE driver of local strategy toward equitable economic opportunity,” Nichelle Gilbert, Executive Director, Partnership for Community Action.
The ERWG includes the following organizations: NM CAFé, El CENTRO de Igualdad y Derechos, Partnership for Community Action, New Mexico Voices for Children, and Somos Un Pueblo Unido.