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City presents Elevate Boulder evaluation showing housing and food‑security gains; staff seek funding to continue pilot
Summary
Staff presented results from Elevate Boulder, a $500/month guaranteed‑income pilot that served 200 people for two years. Evaluation shows reductions in housing and food insecurity; the city is seeking outside funding to continue a smaller cohort after ARPA funds ended.
City staff briefed the Housing Advisory Board on Elevate Boulder, the municipality’s guaranteed‑income pilot, presenting evaluation findings and a participant testimony that highlighted immediate household benefits.
Elizabeth Crowe, a staff member with Housing and Human Services, told the board the pilot delivered $500 per month (in two payments) for two years to 200 people selected by lottery from about 1,300 applicants. The pilot used American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to launch; staff reported the pilot’s total ARPA cost at about $3,000,000. The city contracted the Omni Institute to conduct baseline, 8‑month and 20‑month surveys and focus groups; roughly 75% of participants completed follow‑up surveys, staff said.
On outcomes, staff reported notable improvements in several measures: fewer participants reported housing‑affordability challenges over time and there was an 18% increase in participants saying they were “not at all worried” about housing affordability between baseline and the 20‑month follow‑up. Staff also reported sizable improvements in food security, mental‑health indicators and increased opportunities such as returning to school or job training for about a third of respondents. Staff noted evaluation figures can be sensitive to outliers (for example, changes in debt levels vary depending on individual circumstances) but said qualitative focus groups and participant stories reinforced the quantitative findings.
A participant, Shannon, described the program’s immediate effect on her family: at one point rent consumed about 86% of her take‑home pay; Elevate payments helped her afford basic needs, stop relying on food banks, and accept a full‑time job with benefits. Shannon said the pilot gave her “a dignified off ramp,” allowing breathing room to pursue job training and stable housing.
Staff explained program design choices: eligibility required Boise residency (city residency required), age 18+, income between 30–60% AMI for the pilot cohort, and a COVID‑impact attestation to comply with ARPA rules. Participation was randomized by the evaluation partner. The city offered optional financial coaching and a choice between direct deposit and a debit card; staff said debit‑card data (where available) showed more than 90% of debit‑card expenditures occurred within the city of Boulder.
Board members raised questions and criticisms. One member argued the pilot’s lottery structure and unrestricted cash raised political concerns about equitable use of taxpayer ARPA funds; staff responded that Elevate was intended as one tool among many and that unrestricted cash reduced administrative burden and created measurable short‑term improvements in basic needs and housing stability. Staff said they are pursuing a smaller continuation model, targeting about 100 participants at an expected cost of roughly $1.4 million per cohort, and are considering lowering the program’s income floor to expand access.
No formal board vote was taken on continuation funding; staff will continue seeking external public‑private funds and report back to council and partners on options for sustaining or scaling the program.
