Davon

Davon is a 25-year-old resident of the Russell neighborhood. He is a father, works with children with behavioral health issues, and is an entrepreneur who cuts hair and gets paid for the content he creates on TikTok. Thanks to the money he receives from YALift!, Davon was able to rent a suite in a shared business space where he can cut clients' hair.

"The grant pushed me to be a better person," he said.

As someone who enjoys fashion, Davon said he made a promise to never buy himself shoes without buying his kids shoes, as well. That meant he couldn't afford those purchases as often as he would have liked, even though he wanted to be able to provide nice things for his children. This extra guaranteed income money has helped with that and lowered his stress level.

"At any given moment, no matter what happens, I have a cushion point and will always be fine," he said. "So really, mentally, it just helped me — it just freed up a lot of mental space. Less stress."

Six months into the program, Davon has been able to upgrade his business space to a bigger suite with more amenities for his clients. He said that opportunity was a result of the money he has received from YALift!