AMERICANS can get their hands on free money each month worth up to $1,200 as five US communities lend a helping hand to their residents.
The cash stems from guaranteed income programs that few people know about, benefitting needy families in cities and counties across the country.
Consumer prices stand at 24.3% more expensive since the pandemic with the cost of everyday goods on the climb, leaving millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet.
Many have reported that they are falling behind on bills or failing to afford basic necessities, pushing counties and cities across the US to launch programs aimed at providing a much-needed financial boost to impoverished families.
FRANKLIN COUNTY
Under the Stabilize Families program in Franklin County, Ohio, eligible families experiencing homelessness will receive thousands of dollars in guaranteed income.
Homelessness has outpaced population growth in the county, with 59% of Franklin County families experiencing homelessness at one point in their lives, per RISE Together research.
To help address this issue, 80 families will be handed an initial payment of $1,500, and then 20 of those families will also receive $500 checks monthly for 11 months
The initiative is the result of a collaboration between the non-profits RISE Together Innovation Institute and Community Shelter Board.
“With the Community Shelter Board and other partners, we are building a new narrative to address poverty and support families experiencing homelessness,” RISE Together Innovation Institute CEO Danielle Sydnor said in a statement.
“Guaranteed income is a viable strategy to promote economic stability and well-being for residents in Franklin County,” the CEO added.
HOWARD COUNTY
Several cash-strapped households in Howard County, Maryland, are also receiving much-needed cash thanks to a guaranteed basic income pilot program.
Twenty families are receiving $1,000 each month for 12 months to cover household needs in addition to additional services and programming sessions from community partners.
Howard County launched the pilot in partnership with the Community Action Council of Howard County.
“GBI pilot programs have been in place for almost a decade across our nation and implemented most recently by our neighboring jurisdictions,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball in a statement.
“These impactful programs have demonstrated long-term positive impacts not only on families’ economic stability but also on their emotional availability as parents.”
“Howard County’s GBI pilot program aims to diminish and uplift families out of poverty, better their lives, and enable them to be more self-sufficient,” the executive added.
The outcomes of the pilot will inform the extension and expansion of guaranteed basic income program.
ALAMEDA COUNTY
Over in California, 100 qualifying families in Alameda County received direct $3,000 one-time payments under a pilot guaranteed income program.
The payments were handed out starting last November from the philanthropic organization United Way Bay Area, followed by $1,000 monthly distributions for 12 months, with amounts tapering for an additional six months.
Come the end of the benefits period, each of the participating Bay Area households will have received $18,000.
“Poverty is not an individual failing, it’s a policy choice. At United Way Bay Area, we followed the research and it led us to direct cash payments, an innovation proven to break the cycle of poverty,” said United Way Bay Area CEO Keisha Browder.
How does Guaranteed Income work?
Guaranteed Income and Universal Basic Income programs have taken off in popularity recently.
After the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan of 2021 sent stimulus money to local governments, dozens began testing guaranteed income (GI) systems.
The specifics vary, but GI typically involves payouts to people with low incomes. Unlike traditional welfare, there are no job requirements, drug tests, or other strings attached.
Some have pushed for a Universal Basic Income (UBI), which would go to everyone regardless of how much money they make at work. Alaska has used a similar system since the 1970s.
Proponents say this alleviates poverty while incentivizing work, unlike classic welfare, which cuts benefits from people who begin earning “too much” money to qualify.
Opponents argue such a system is too expensive to function on a large scale and suggest Americans should avoid becoming reliant on government money.
With some cities heralding the success of GI programs, some Republican-led states have moved to ban them. States like Texas and Iowa, for example, have undermined major spending plans by pushing against GI.
“The Bay Area is a place where many people thrive, while others struggle to survive. By targeting support to these first 100 families, we want to understand how unconditional cash assistance offered alongside optional financial coaching services impact wellbeing and behavior.
“Our goal is to learn from this pilot program and replicate a successful effort across the Bay Area and beyond,” she concluded.
In addition to receiving no-strings-attached payments, the Alameda County families are also provided individualized financial planning and coaching.
GEORGIA
In Her Hands is another guaranteed income program that provides no strings attached cash payments to needy Americans, specifically benefitting Black women in Georgia.
“Black women are among the most likely group to experience cash shortfalls that make covering basic needs difficult,” per the program’s website.
“This isn’t the result of poor choices, it’s the result of pervasive economic insecurity that has the sharpest impact on women and communities of color and the people who live at the intersection of the two.”
To help address this pressing issue, In Her Hands is doling out an average of $1,000 each month for two to three years to more than 920 women across The Peach State.
The $30 million initiative is one of the biggest guaranteed income programs in the South, benefitting women in the following areas:
- Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward
- Southwest Georgia’s Clay-Randolph-Terrell county cluster
- The City of College Park
- Atlanta’s westside neighborhoods of English Avenue, Vine City, Bankhead, and Washington Park
SANTA CLARA COUNTY
Multiple guaranteed basic income programs are being piloted in Santa Clara County, California, to help individuals achieve stability in their finances, daily life, and long-term well-being, per the Office of the County Executive.
These pilots will hand out monthly unconditional cash payments of $1,200 for two years totaling nearly $25 million, benefitting 800 individuals across four participant groups.
The targeted outcomes for the guaranteed basic income pilots are:
- Self-sufficiency of former foster youth
- Education/employment of unhoused high school students
- Recidivism rates of justice-involved clients
- Child care and generational success of children of young parents
The second cohort for the former foster youth group started receiving monthly checks beginning in August 2023.
Santa Clara County aims to roll out the remaining three pilot programs by the end of this year.
Enrollment in the guaranteed basic income programs is via referrals from partner organizations, not through an open application.
Americans in four other cities are set to receive another round of “guaranteed” checks up to $1,000 – see if you are eligible.
Meanwhile, monthly checks worth $1,000 from a “thrive” program are also going out – and payments are for the entire year.
Guaranteed income programs provide regular, unconditional cash payments to individuals or families in need[/caption]
