Why trust matters in a UBI pilot
In order to build a program that works, we work to make sure that trust is front and center throughout the creation and implementation of our UBI pilot in Hudson.
Why does it matter to make people feel safe and show that they can trust us? Because without that, we can’t reach the people that we really want to reach, those who we want to encourage to participate in our pilot.
One of the most important things we had to do to create trust in Hudson was to connect with people and organizations that have strong roots in the community. This is critically important, both for initial outreach - introducing the program to the community, and getting people to apply for the pilot - and also for implementing the program. Having folks like Kaya Weidman of Kite’s Nest, Bryan MacCormack of Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, and Joan Hunt of Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood means we can connect with people who already know and trust those individuals and the organizations they work with. Creating a team that centers these leaders was crucial in making our program a safe space.
A second key part of building trust is making sure we keep participants’ identities confidential. This means we don’t share any potentially identifying information. In a city as small as Hudson, this limits what we can share by a lot, since even a detail that seems insignificant in a larger community could point to a specific person in Hudson.
Maintaining participants’ privacy can complicate storytelling, because it means we can’t share anecdotes about participants that could be very powerful. But money is a strong force in society, and having a sudden influx of income can make change social atmospheres and make someone a target, even for people within their close community.
Keeping participants safe, and making sure they feel comfortable in this program, has to be the number-one priority - and we will share the progress of the UBI pilot in a responsible way, keeping participants’ identities completely confidential.
