Debbie, her son Shawn, and her grandson James are long-term renters in Tacoma that have used the guaranteed income payments to clean up their credit and begin saving for a down payment on their first home. 12-year-old James has autism and the guaranteed income payments have allowed Debbie and Shawn extra capacity to care for him in the way he needs. First and foremost, the payments have given the financial space to allow Debbie time off of full time work so she can now stay home and homeschool James as he needs consistent care and learns and functions better in small groups. Shawn works full-time as a restaurant manager. Also, as Debbie ages, she worries that if they are unable to purchase a home she will be leaving James into the unknown hands of a care facility “ I worry about getting older and watching James do the same. James will have to live in assisted living if we can’t get ourselves a house. I want to make sure that he has his own place to live and that he will be looked after and cared for properly.”
A portion of the guaranteed income payments also went to a new pair of running shoes for James as he runs track and field for the Washington Special Olympics and fees for a local bowling club.