Gabi Huffman recalled being near a breaking point.

After leaving what she called a “really bad relationship,” she was living in a church basement shelter with her daughter, who was three months old at the time. Huffman, then 21, recalled having anxiety and panic attacks over her life’s instability that were so severe she thought about going to a mental hospital.

But in February 2023, the monthly checks started coming in.

Huffman was selected to receive $1,000 a month as part of a state program experimenting with giving homeless youths cash payments for two years with no strings attached.

For Huffman, it was a significant leg up. She used the money to buy insurance and gas for her ‘97 Infinity sedan. It meant she could buy Q-tips, hair conditioner and clothes for work. She even bought a

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