Many Americans are set to receive a Universal Basic Income (UBI) stimulus check. It is a social welfare proposal in which citizens of a certain population are to regularly receive an unconditional transfer payment. It is without any need to work or a means test. This payment is independent of any other program that may exist.
In the past year, several states and cities in the US have tried out a variety of UBI programs. And even as these stimulus check programs expand across the country, people in certain cities are set to benefit from UBI stimulus checks. The City Council of Phoenix in Arizona approved a plan in the last quarter of 2022 to send out a monthly payment to around a thousand low-income families.
In what amounts to a trial of Universal Basic Income, the number of families was deliberately limited to such a low number of families. The payments have been tied down to certain criteria for eligibility for those who applied for entitlement to the Phoenix UBI stimulus check.
Households eligible for participating in the UBI lottery are all low-income households that have at least one child. Their earnings are also 80% or less of the median income of the area.
Eligibility For The UBI Stimulus Check
In Phoenix, 80% of the median income of the area for a household of 4 members comes to around $63,200 a year. the City Council has also said that families that have applied earlier for rental assistance and residents at public housing owned by the city also qualify for the stimulus checks.
The Phoenix Universal Basic Income was funded by money from the American Rescue Plan Act. It was signed by President Biden immediately after he came to power. Families who won in the lottery of the Universal Basic Income program of the state were guaranteed a $1,000 stimulus check every month for a year. it was limited to a study of the impact of such payments.
Officials of the Phoenix City Council said that a thousand families getting the $1,000 for 12 months are a case study. They said that people are aware of their needs. They said that it would be better that they decide on the use of the financial assistance without being guided by the council on this matter.
Residents Of Alexandria are Eligible Ot Apply For A $500 Stimulus Check
Residents of Alexandria in Virginia who live alone and earn less than $49,850 a year are eligible for a $500 stimulus check each month. The council of Alexandria city has put to use some of its COVID-19 funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to use as a guaranteed pilot stimulus check. it has been named Alexandria’s Recurring Income for Success and Equity (ARISE).
This program involves 170 individuals who have been randomly selected but meet certain household limits on income. The selected individuals will receive a $500 stimulus check each month for the next two years. They are eligible to spend the fund in any way they wish.
The city council said in a press release that the guaranteed pilot stimulus check has proven to have an impact on economic inequity and poverty. This payment enables participants to determine the budgetary strategies that could benefit them and their families the most.
The council further said that the Recurring Income program will help the city examine a new and bold method of ensuring that people have what is necessary to make bold decisions. This will immensely improve their lives and that of their families.
This plan of a guaranteed stimulus check, or a universal basic income, has led to much debate in the past couple of years. It has also been implemented in cities such as San Diego and Los Angeles.
Alexandria Major Justin Wilson said that the city is using the Rescue Plan funds to provide individuals with financial resources. This will enable families and empower them to decide on the best ways to meet their needs of them and their families.
This unique program, he said, will evolve how neighbors are assisted when they are in dire need of money. He said that it was the crux of the ARISE scheme.
Applicants do not have to be citizens or have work requirements to be eligible for the ARISE stimulus check. But eligible individuals should be residents of Alexandria and above 18 years. They must also earn less than the caps that have been set by the City Council. The caps are at present below 50 percent of the median income of Alexandria.
The city said in a press release that a community webinar provided information on the ARISE stimulus check. It also guides eligible individuals to apply for it. Arabic, Spanish, and Amharic interpretation was also provided along with the English language text.
The city council encouraged all residents of the city to apply for the stimulus check as it is a chance to get some extra income. This income does not come with any bindings and it could help make beneficiaries some extra choices to improve their financial well-being. It could improve their present quality of life and make for a better future.
The outcome of the Alexandria stimulus check will be closely studied by researchers. They will follow the beneficiary families to determine if those outcomes are true to what they have expected of the scheme.
The pilot project of the Guaranteed Basic income is one that several other cities are also trying with reportedly positive results. Richmond in Virginia is also trying out the project and has reported similarly positive results. Ellenville in New York is also guiding through a similar scheme for its residents.
At least eleven direct-cash experiments have gone off the ground this year. such guaranteed income programs have been steadily gaining traction as the economic recession linked to the pandemic took root. There are over 60 mayors who have advocated and even launched pilot programs that guarantee a stimulus check for deserving residents.
The first statewide guaranteed income program was recently flagged off in California. It provides as much as $1,000 each month to qualifying pregnant women and also young adults who are exiting the foster care system.
