AMERICANS who have enrolled to participate in a guaranteed income pilot are set to start getting their monthly payments in the coming weeks.
Known as ARISE, the universal basic income pilot in Alexandria, Virginia is offering $500 per month for two years to needy residents.
In a January newsletter, Mayor Justin Wilson noted that the city received a total of 4,149 applications.
Of those, 170 have been randomly selected to participate, and they started getting notified in December.
Wilson is hoping that the payments will help “alleviate poverty.”
“To gauge the result of this effort, the City will provide case management and engage a research partner,” he said
READ MORE ON PAYMENTS
“Ultimately, the goal of the effort is to improve the economic stability of lower-income families.”
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
Eligibility will depend on income Alexandria residents' income.
For example, it must be at or below 50 percent of the area median income.
The threshold for a household of one is $49,850 and $71,150 for four.
Most read in Money
Also, residents must be at least 18 years old and applications must have been submitted by the November 9 deadline.
WHEN THE MONEY WILL ARRIVE
Originally, the first round of monthly checks was set to start going out during the last week of January.
However, local news outlet the Patch reports that they will go out in February.
There has been no exact date provided at this time.
The U.S. Sun reached out to ARISE officials for comment.
OTHER UBI PROGRAMS THAT WILL SEND CASH SOON
Meanwhile, other UBI programs across the country have kicked off and are set to send out the first batch of monthly payments in the coming weeks.
Chelsea Eats in Massachusetts is still accepting applications for only another 24 hours or so.
To qualify for the program, which will select between 600 and 700 participants, a resident’s household income must be 30 percent less than the area median.
The amount of money received depends on household size.
For example, solo households are in line for $200, households of two can get $300 and households of three or more are due $400.
To put your name in for consideration, you must submit an online application no later than 12pm on Friday, January 6.
If selected, participants should receive their first prepaid debit card with the payment by the end of the month, Tom Ambrosino, Chelsea City manager, previously told The U.S. Sun.
A separate round of monthly payments is scheduled to start going out in Coachella, California, in January.
They are worth $400 per month and will go out to 140 families for two years.
To qualify for the program, all of the following must apply:
- Must reside in the city of Coachella, California
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Have a current non-expired government-issued photo ID
- Have at least one child under the age of 12 who was living in your household in 2021
- Earned less than $75,000 in 2021 or have a total household income below $150,000 in 2021
- Filed a 2019 or 2020 tax return or gave the IRS information as a non-filer in 2020 or 2021
Those who were approved should have started to get notified on Tuesday, December 27.
Additionally, it’s also worth mentioning Rochester, New York's UBI program.
A total of 175 residents will get $500 in monthly cash for a year.
To qualify income must be at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
The program is set to launch at some point in early 2023 and it's unclear if there will be an application process.
A city spokesperson told The U.S. Sun that it does not have an update to share about the pilot at this time.
Read More on The US Sun
For more related stories, 12 states are offering direct cash to parents.
And here is a list of states and cities offering universal basic income.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEZqqupl6YvK57zKilnrFfbH13fZJtZ2iln6PBqbjYZqeasZ2au7W%2FjJqpq6Gmmnq4tMSnZg%3D%3D