Editors note: To protect a source’s identity, the The Intersection has agreed to change her name to Marie. This story has been funded by grant from The Solution’s Journalism Network. Delonte Harrod is a HEAL Fellow. He is reporting at the convergence of youth, mental health and economics.

Not long ago, Marie remembers a time when she only had enough money to buy food for her sibling. She is the caretaker of a younger sibling. For Marie, based upon the situation, it was logical to give the food to her sibling, and not eat. There wasn't enough. It’s not clear how often this happened, but she thinks it has impacted her health. She believes her lack of eating has resulted in a recurring stomach problem. “I need to make a doctor’s appointment for that,” she told me. However, things have changed. Her economic life has somewhat improved. Now, Marie has more money to purchase enough food so that she can eat. “I am no longer sacrificing one thing for the other – and that makes me feel calmer,” she said.

In 2024, Marie was accepted in the Prince George’s County basic income pilot program for youth that have transitioned out of foster care. The program not only provides money, but also mentorship that helps them to navigate the road ahead.

“ You don't think [$800] it's much at first,” explained Marie, who was once in the foster care system in Prince George’s County. “Then you think about how it does help you.”

A Glimmer of Hope

Screen shot from the Urban Institute’s data about the Prince George’s County basic income pilot program. Here are the neighborhoods where participants are from. “The partners leading Thrive Prince George’s focused on recruiting target participants from the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s priority areas—neighborhoods where Black and Brown communities experience the largest disparities in homeownership and income.”

The Prince George’s County basic income pilot program was spearheaded by Prince George’s County Changemakers, a local non-profit organization. Janna Parker, native and resident of the county, is executive director of the organization. She, and other activists, led the charge. Parker said the county is mainly known for its “vibrant and resilient communities.” Alongside these vibrant, high income neighborhoods exist food apartheid neighborhoods, poverty, and communities that lack access to medical care.

“This combination of social conditions aggravates the racial wealth gap within our resident population,” said Parker. “The racial wealth gap is a phenomenon that speaks to the wealth gap between different races, particularly those within the white population that generally have more access to wealth than those within the black and brown population.”

PG Changemakers along with other community members' activism led to Krystal Oriadha, District 7 council member, introducing bill CB-018-2023 to the county council in 2023. The bill’s documents show that the program was fashioned after Stockton, California’s SEED project. That initiative gave 125 people $500 each for 24 months. However, it wasn’t only Stockton that provided the example. Montgomery County, Maryland, Baltimore City, and Alexandria, Virginia all have basic income programs that yielded some positive results. In short, the stipends have provided some stability for its participants. The Greater Washington Community Foundation, Meyer Foundation and the Prince George’s County Council collectively funded the 2 year pilot program with $4 million. Parker said the pilot program is another way of providing residents with “ extra resources to help them move into a different fiscal, social, and/or emotional space.”

The program focuses on two Prince George’s County populations: senior citizens (60 years-old and older) and youth (18-24 years old) that have transitioned out of foster care. The program has 125 senior citizens participants and 50 youth that have aged out of foster care. Prince George’s County is just one of many places in the U.S. that have a basic income program for youth that have transitioned out of foster care. The Prince George’s County pilot program pays each participant $800 a month for two years. Marie and others received their first stipend in April of 2024.

Screenshot from Urban Institute’s data on the Prince George’s County basic income pilot program. Nearly %60 percent of the youth that are participating in the cohort are making less than $10,000 a year.

Former Foster Care Youth Need Opportunities

There is a reason to aim resources at this group. Generally speaking, many youth that have transitioned out of care, unfortunately, often struggle with economic instability. According to Annie E. Casey foundation’s 2023 study, youth that transition out of foster care experience housing instability, joblessness, academic difficulties, early parenthood, and substance use. To remedy these problems, it concludes that this population needs more access to resources on a local level (housing, banking, educational resources, and peer networking groups, etc.). More specifically, according to the Urban Institute’s recent data on the pilot program, participants were recruited from areas in Prince George’s County with the highest homeownership and income disparities (Suitland, Temple Hills, Capitol Heights, District Heights, and Hyattsville). Nearly 60% of the youth were making less than $10,000 per year.

The funds, for youth that have transitioned out of foster care, are distributed through the Greater Washington Foundation’s Thrive Prince Prince George’s County initiative to Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), a national nonprofit that works with children that have been abused in Prince George’s County. The organization partners with the juvenile court system and trains community volunteers to work one-on-one with youth in foster care, according to Jeanmarie Graves, community initiatives and emerging adult specialists at CASA. In order to qualify for the basic income, youth would have needed to transition out of care between 2020-2022, during the spread of COVID-19, and be 18-24 years old. Yolanda Johnson, the executive director of the Prince George’s chapter, said they received hundreds of applications.

Johnson said the organization's core ethics is to provide care for children who are in the foster care system and those that have transitioned out. “Their best interest is the core of our decision making,” she explained. Johnson said the pilot program became a way for them to engage youth post foster care.

A little Certainty

Marie grew up in an abusive home. Her parents, she said, would hit them. Those encounters, sometimes, resulted in them bleeding and hospital visits. “We…[thought] it was normal,” she said. “I don’t think it’s normal anymore.” Additionally, her parents, she said, did not steward their finances well, which resulted in them living paycheck to paycheck. For various reasons, and through Marie’s self advocacy, social services conducted an investigation and Marie, along with her siblings, was removed from the home.

While in the foster care system, Marie came in contact with CASA volunteers. With their help, she graduated from high school. Eventually, she transitioned out of foster care. She found a part-time job, and a place to live, but economically she was still poor.

“ I was living the way my parents lived – paycheck to paycheck. And that doesn't really help you. It doesn’t help you to grow. It doesn’t do anything…[but] make you mad and say, ‘I’m tired. I don’t know what else to do,” Marie said.

When applications for the basic income pilot program opened, in 2023, Marie found it online. Jeanmarie Graves said a CASA volunteer – who had worked with Marie while in foster care – encouraged her to apply because she met the qualifications. Marie said she felt like it wasn’t for her, and she believed someone else could use the resources. With a little more encouragement, she finally applied – and became one of the 50. For Marie, the money has helped in some very practical ways.

At one point, a sibling needed a retainer. Due to her youth, and little life experiences, there were certain things she was oblivious to. She didn’t know that a retainer cost money. Using her digital research skills, she found that it cost about $1000. She was able to use that money to purchase the retainer.

Furthermore, Marie sees a therapist for the abuse she received while living with her parents. “I need therapy,” she said. “ Like, I know when I don't go to therapy, that's when I start having negative thoughts. That's when I start to feel like everyone's out here to attack me; and that I don't have anyone that I can trust. You know, going to therapy, I realized that a lot of that is just coming from me.”

In order to attend sessions, she has to take time off from her job. Whenever she’s not physically at her job – she loses money. But the extra income helps to ease that tension.

Challenges and Continued Care

In order to connect the group to their stipends, Johnson said, they had to connect them with bank accounts. Some of the program's participants did not have them. Instead, they used a popular app to store their funds. CASA saw it as an opportunity to close that gap – so they partnered with a local bank to obtain checking accounts for participants.

Often, after youth transition out of the foster care system, CASA, sometimes, are unable to keep track of all of them. It’s hard to know how to continue to provide care for them. However, Graves said, this pilot program has given them more information on what some of their lives look like post foster care. “The Thrive program is definitely helping them to pay rent and to provide basic needs,” Graves said. “But, I have found that a lot of them are [still trying to survive].” She said some of them are still struggling to find their footing.

While still in foster care, social workers, and their volunteers met with youth to provide them with information about educational opportunities, housing, jobs, mental health resources, etc. This is not to mention that they are still required to attend school while in foster care. Yet, still, for some of them, life’s obstacles can impede economic and social stability. With ongoing resources, Graves said the goal is to move them towards stability.

Johnson said Graves is like a mentor or a coach to the participants. She is their contact person, and she continues to help them navigate life’s circumstances. The pilot program will end in 2026. Graves said these youth didn’t choose to be in foster care. It was given to them. However, she wants people to know that they too deserve the same opportunities that Maryland provides. Quoting an unknown philosopher, Graves said: “You can’t guarantee success, but [everyone] should be guaranteed an opportunity to succeed.” Though the road has been rocky, through (this program) Marie and others are getting that opportunity.

Read Our Other Coverage

Featured