Can Monthly Cash Payments Make Our Economy More Equitable?

From Sonali Kolhatkar / Yes! Magazine: Guaranteed income programs aim to reduce poverty by providing cash to those in need with no strings attached. One of these programs in New York City, The Bridge Project, focuses on helping women of color who are mothers.

Read the original story here.

Issue Areas:

Alternative Forms of Income, Childcare, Poverty Reduction Measures, Universal Basic Income, Wellbeing Economics

Impact Areas:

Equity, Health and Wellness

Actors:

Nonprofit / NGO, Philanthropy and Social Impact Investors

Communities Served:

BIPOC Communities, Caregivers, Womxn

Strategies:

Changing Narratives, Easing Economic Burdens for Individuals

Success Factors:

Addressing Underlying Issues, Building Distribution Systems, Eliminating Barriers, Empowering People, Expanding Access, Help Rather Than Punishment, Meeting People Where They Are At, Providing Cash Instead Of Goods/Services

Geographic Region:

North America

Countries:

United States

Date:

February 11, 2022

More Resources:

Nehemiah: Making the American Dream possible for first-time homeowners

From CBS News: The Nehemiah project began in the 1980s building privately-owned homes on land that nobody wanted in East Brooklyn and sold the homes at prices that were affordable to working class families. Church and community organizers mobilized local...

Portland group works to make wealth redistribution a reality through real estate

From Tiffany Camhi / OPB: Volunteers of the PDX Housing Solidarity Project are working to redistribute generational wealth through homeownership in Portland. The project connects people with ample resources to Black and Indigenous homebuyers and helps facilitate cash gifts, no-interest...

Conversation with Steve King

Steve King is the Executive Director of the Oakland Community Land Trust, a nonprofit organization dedicated to removing land, housing, and other community-serving real estate assets from the speculative market and stewarding them with, and for the permanent benefit of,...

Conversation with Thomas Legrand

Thomas Legrand is the Lead Technical Advisor for the UNDP-convened Conscious Food Systems Alliance (CoFSA). He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and has 20 years of experience in sustainable land use, climate change, sustainable finance, leadership, and developing inner capacities...

Results From The City That Just Gave Away Cash

From Emma Peaslee / NPR: A guaranteed income pilot program in Stockton, California, resulted in improved mental health and even increased full-time employment rates. The extra cash gave recipients who were struggling with poverty the mental and financial bandwidth to...

Slowly but surely, Kigali city is reclaiming streets for people

From Nadia Lobti / The New Times: Twice a month the city of Kigali has a “Car Free Day,” a program that reduces air and noise pollution while simultaneously encouraging residents to be more active via walking, biking, and other...