Description

In this second episode of our special series, we sit down again with Gwen Battis, Program Manager for the Denver Basic Income Project (DBIP), to explore what guaranteed income can mean for the future of Denver, and the country.

We dig into:

• The civil rights roots of guaranteed income
• Why cash offers dignity, choice, and real agency
• How DBIP became the first major pilot studying direct cash for people experiencing homelessness
• The growing participant-led movement shaping state and national cash policy
• What critics misunderstand—and why outcomes must be understood in context
• How AI and shifting labor markets make basic income increasingly essential
• A preview of DBIP’s upcoming documentary and the powerful stories featured in it

You’ll also hear reflections from DBIP participants and founder Mark Donovan, offering an honest look at the impact of trust, flexibility, and unconditional support.

If this conversation resonated with you, please consider supporting Elevated Denver this Colorado Gives Day. Your gifts keep this podcast, our storytelling work, and our community-centered education efforts going strong: https://www.coloradogives.org/story/Elevatedenver.