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The new guaranteed income pilot will provide poor black women in Georgia hundreds of dollars a month to improve financial stability and mental health and tackle the racial wealth gap.
NS A program called In Her HandsWill provide up to 650 black women in two years with untied cash of approximately $ 850 per month. Launched early next year, it has distributed over $ 13 million and is ready to become one of the largest guaranteed income pilot programs in the United States.
The program is led by the Georgia Resilience and Opportunity Fund, a coalition of locally elected officials and nonprofits, and the nonprofit GiveDirectly, in Atlanta and the suburbs of Georgia near or below the Federal Poverty Line. Includes participants who live in and other parts of the countryside.
The program will study how such unconditional cash transfers affect a participant’s financial and mental well-being.
It was intentionally started in Atlanta — Some of the most notable income inequality in the United States — Especially in the Old Force Ward area Where Martin Luther King Jr. grew up When Promoted the idea of guaranteed income..
The median black family in the United States owns $ 3,600 in wealth — About 2% of the $ 147,000 owned by a median Caucasian family, According to a 2019 survey by the Institute of Policy Studies. And in Georgia 26% of black women live in poverty, Compared to 14% of white women.
Black women have also been disproportionately hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated economic crisis and are more likely to face it than other groups. unemployment WhenEvacuation..And blacks across the United States Experienced a higher rate Hospitalization and death From coronavirus than whites.
“Black women are one of the groups most likely to experience a cash shortage that makes it difficult to cover their basic needs. This is not the result of a bad choice. It is in the women and color community. It is the result of widespread economic instability that has the most serious impact, “Hope Wollensak, Managing Director of the GRO Fund, said in a release. “Guaranteed income is a step towards creating a fairer and more equitable economy.”
The idea of guaranteed income, or unconditional free money, to improve the economic and other outcomes of low-income earners is not new.it’s been Large-scale testing in the country Good results such as nutrition improvement have been obtained in Kenya and India. Finland, Where the recipient reported an improvement in health and well-being. GiveDirectly, A non-profit organization co-leading Georgia pilots, ran the world’s largest and longest pilot Basic income experiment In Kenya.
In the United States, other guaranteed income projects have shown to be promising.of $ 500 cash sent to 125 people in Stockton, Calif. Monthly for one year. Studies show that recipients have good work prospects, improved mental health, and used cash to buy basic essentials.
Meanwhile, for a year, the Magnolia Mothers Trust in Mississippi Gave a black mom $ 1,000 a monthSaid that it made a difference in their lives.When AucklandCalifornia currently has a guaranteed income program that provides 600 low-income households with $ 500 in cash each month.
In the United States, according to a 2019 federal report Nearly 40% of Americans will not be able to cover the astonishing cost of $ 400..
With this in mind, Congressman Ilhan Omar (Democratic Party) This year, we introduced a law to create a federal guaranteed income program. Send $ 1,200 per month directly to most Americans.In advancing legislation, Omar noted the success of the government’s own experiment of giving cash to people: millions of Americans received it. 3 rounds of stimulation check During a pandemic.These payments Found to significantly reduce financial difficultiesMay have helped people buy food, pay invoices, and reduce anxiety and depression in some people.
This article was originally HuffPost It has been updated.
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