An undocumented worker was able to pay rent because he got $2,000 as part of a UBI-like program that will now be permanent for Coloradans who lose their jobs

• Leo Alvarez received $2,000 from a pandemic-era fund for undocumented workers who lost wages in 2020. 
• The fund has led to a permanent unemployment assistance program for undocumented workers in Denver. 
• The pandemic exacerbated inequalities for undocumented workers that advocates want states to address. 

Leo Alvarez had a confluence of bad luck in 2020. 

Due to the pandemic, the bakery where he works in Denver, Colorado, cut his hours. The hours he could work were painful ones, due to his arthritis. It's been a year since he started working regularly again, although he's still suffering from medical complications.