ELIGIBLE Americans are in line to score monthly payments from a brand new program.
The City of Salem and UpTogether have just launched a guaranteed income program called Uplift Salem.
Participants who live in Salem, Massachusetts will receive $500 a month for one year with no strings attached.
The program will choose 100 residents and each will be able to spend the payments however they decide.
However, each recipient will be evaluated by two Salem State University faculty members, according to a statement from the program.
Applications will open on October 28 and residents will have two weeks to apply or until 350 eligible applications have been received – whichever comes first.
“We want Salem to be an affordable place for everyone, and a guaranteed income program offers an innovative approach to help achieve that goal,” Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo said in a statement.
To submit a form, be sure to check out the Uplift Salem website.
ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?
To qualify for the program, residents must meet two criteria.
Participants must reside in Salem, Massachusetts – this included unhoused residents who spend the majority of their time in Salem.
Second, they must have a household or family income at or below 100% of the federal poverty level based on household size.
Folks will be selected randomly from the group of eligible applications.
Once chosen, their first payments will be handed out by December 1.
A LITTLE HISTORY
UpTogether is a national nonprofit working to address and eliminate poverty.
The total cost of the pilot is $685,000 and funded through the American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
A private contribution was also made through UpTogether.
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.
WHAT IS GUARANTEED INCOME?
Guaranteed income is similar to universal basic income, UBI, where programs provide individuals with regularly fixed incomes.
These can be programs that use public funds or are funded by the government.
Each program looks to reduce poverty and may be implemented federally and statewide.
While guaranteed income is similar to UBI, it typically provides a smaller amount of money and is aimed at a specific group.
