We hear a lot about building generational wealth and the importance of equity, but we don’t speak enough on generational poverty, which is far more common. Generational poverty has plagued my family for many years, and living paycheck to paycheck was the norm. I was determined to be the curse-breaker, and build something solid for my family’s future.
Five years ago, I saw light at the end of my tunnel. I was not living paycheck to paycheck anymore, I was finally getting ahead. I thought I’d be able to begin reaching for long-term goals, like owning a home. Then, at the height of the pandemic, I lost my job.
To make matters worse, Winter Storm Uri devastated Texas around the same time. Our apartment complex lost natural gas, meaning no hot water and no ability to cook hot food. The management company was not providing us with alternatives. My children were taking cold showers in the middle of winter and eating cold food. So were my elderly neighbors, and others with babies and young children.
I’ve always been a fighter, so I began to organize for my community. We succeeded in getting the apartment complex to install temporary structures outside for hot showers. We had hot meals delivered. We showed that while individually we are vulnerable, together we are powerful.
I spent my days fighting for the basic human rights of my community, but privately I was feeling so discouraged. I needed a new source of income, but the only transportation I had access to was my sister’s 2016 Volkswagen Jetta – which was shared by four households and often unavailable. I was keeping my children in virtual learning to relieve the burden of buying clothes and shoes. My body was telling me that something was wrong, but I was uninsured and couldn’t afford a diagnosis that could mean no work or expensive treatment. I was sinking back down into the poverty I thought I’d be able to escape. I prayed that my children would be the ones to break the curse.
Being chosen changed my life.
Then, I received a call from an employee at BASTA, telling me about a guaranteed income pilot program being introduced in Austin. I would be entered into the lottery through their nonprofit and, if chosen, my family would receive $1,000 per month for 12 months. I couldn’t believe it was true, but I told her to sign me up.
Being chosen changed my life.
I received my first payment in September of 2022 and at first I focused on catching up on bills and ensuring I was not homeless. With that security, over the next few months, I used the skills I learned from tenant organizing to join a certificate program, and I became a certified leasing consultant. With that, I was able to get a good job at a company that helped me enhance my skills.
In April 2023, my health problems could no longer be ignored, and one trip to the emergency room became an eight-day stint in the hospital. I saw my son turn 15 from a hospital bed. Without the extra $1,000 that month, I would not have been able to afford the medication, or the rest required to heal. It was quite literally life-saving.
The best part about guaranteed income is that the cash comes with no strings. I was able to help pay for the maintenance of my sister’s car, which got extra wear and tear from the many follow-up doctor appointments I had. I could buy things that I needed, no longer putting my health on the back burner in a struggle to make ends meet. I could help others in the community when they needed it, and that meant a lot.
Guaranteed income changed the way economic mobility looked for us. This assistance changed my life, and the freedom to choose how I used the money restored hope for my family.
Today, I am a certified doula, certified community health care worker, a notary, and I am currently in school for nonprofit leadership and management. These have all been goals and dreams of mine. Now, the curse of generational poverty is again in the rearview mirror, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Even though Austin was forced to cut funding for our city’s guaranteed income program, I am here to say this kind of boost is exactly what Austinites need. $12,000 over the course of a year really created economic mobility for my family. It’s inspiring to see chains being broken and the seemingly impossible become possible because someone believed in investing in people and stabilization of the community. The underserved no longer feel like the un-deserved.
Taniquewa Brewster is a mother, a community organizer, a community health worker and doula, and was elected to serve as the Community Development commissioner for her ZIP code. She was a recipient of Austin’s guaranteed income pilot in 2022-23.
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This article appears in April 24 • 2026.