Socioeconomic Struggles and Opportunities with Guaranteed Income: Community Engagement, Self-Actualization, Healthcare, and Economic Mobility

With support from the Sage Project at San Diego State University and in collaboration with the Black Women’s Resilience Project (BWRP) and Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFSSD), student researchers created a community needs assessment to collect information about the struggles of single Black mothers who live in the health equity zip codes established in San Diego County. The purpose of this research was to provide more insight into the characteristics of and challenges faced by Black mothers in San Diego in preparation for the launch of a new guaranteed income (GI) initiative of the BWRP and JFSSD, which will provide up to $1,000 a month for low-income Black mothers. The focus of this needs assessment was to measure participants’ feelings or status related to the four domains of focus as outlined by the BWRP: civic engagement and belonging, Black culture and self-actualization, behavioral and physical health, and economic mobility. First, the class was tasked with developing an understanding of these domains, as well as how GI programs typically function. The student researchers were then tasked with creating questions to reflect these domains and were split into eight groups based on the zip codes of interest. Once completed, researchers utilized multiple methods to recruit participants for the survey within the target population. The needs assessment was posted using QR codes on posters in community centers and links in online community groups, as well as administered in person by some groups. Sociodemographic results of participants displayed that roughly one third of the respondents fit the target population of the needs assessment, though responses from members of other racial or ethnic backgrounds, incomes, or marital statuses have been included to provide insight into the differing needs of mothers across the county. Results of questions on civic engagement and belonging displayed a significant disconnect between individuals and the communities in which they reside, especially for Black women. Regarding Black culture and self-actualization, results highlight a lack of feelings of agency by Black participants. Results of questions on economic mobility foreground the financial challenges that women face when providing for their home, despite the fact that nearly one third of the participants indicated that they are employed full time. As for behavioral and physical health, results displayed a disparity in insurance coverage between single and married individuals, as well as a lack of healthcare resources across the board.