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AFTER two years in the works, a guaranteed income pilot program is now accepting applications to hand out $1,000 payments to women.
The no-strings-attached payments last 18 months and are intended to financially assist low-income pregnant women.
As part of a guaranteed income pilot program, selected pregnant mothers will receive no-strings-attached money (stock image)[/caption]
Payments will be handed out as $1,000 per month for 18 months (stock image)[/caption]
Philly Joy Bank is a guaranteed income pilot program created to benefit pregnant Philadelphians.
Among the top 10 most populated US cities, Philadelphia has the highest infant mortality rate in the first year of life, according to the program’s website.
Additionally, black infants in Philadelphia are over three times more likely to pass away before turning one than white infants.
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” said Dr. Stacey Kallem, director of the Philadelphia Division of Maternal, Child, and Family Health, per a local outlet.
“Alleviating financial stress during pregnancy can have real and positive impacts on birth outcomes. And the way to alleviate financial stress is actually pretty simple – you give people cash.”
Kallem and her team worked for over two years to raise $6 million in public and private funds for the pilot.
The program aims to improve maternal and infant health outcomes and reduce racial disparities by providing 250 mothers with $1,000 monthly for 18 months.
Mothers will begin receiving the payments in the second trimester of pregnancy through one year after birth.
The cash is no-strings-attached, meaning it can be spent however the program participants see fit.
“Buy diapers, get on the bus, get something to eat, pay a bill, take a day off and be paid for it,” said Crystal Yates-Gale, city deputy managing director of health and human services.
FOUR REQUIREMENTS
Mothers looking to apply for the Philly Joy Bank pilot must meet four criteria.
First, they must be 18 years of age or older.
Second, they must be pregnant in their second trimester at the time of application.
This gestation period is between 12 weeks and 24 weeks and zero days of pregnancy.
Expectant mothers must also have a total annual household income below $100,000.
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 fourth requirement is that applicants live in either Nicetown-Tioga, Strawberry Mansion, or Cobbs Creek.
These three neighborhoods were chosen for the program because they have the highest percentage of very low birth weights in Philadelphia.
A lottery system will be used to choose the 250 participants. Participants will be randomly drawn every two weeks.
The selected mothers will receive an email and phone call from the Philly Joy Bank Navigator to enroll in the program.
Once participants are chosen, their first payment will be distributed shortly after enrollment.
Those who are not selected will be re-entered into the lottery for another chance if they still meet the gestational age requirements.
Immigration status is not taken into consideration when applicants are chosen.
Interested mothers can apply on the Philly Joy Bank website.
Other cities are hosting guaranteed income programs to support their residents.
American families are being handed over $9,000 in string-free money.
Plus, Americans can get $1,400 a month for two years of free money to spend on anything.
