HOUSEHOLD INCOME PILOT PLAN
Dear neighbor –
PROVIDENCE MAYOR JORGE O. ELORZA
Recently, I announced the launch of a Providence Guaranteed Income pilot program that will provide $500 a month to 110 Providence households living in poverty for one year. The pilot, which is entirely philanthropically funded, will be rigorously evaluated by researchers at the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania to help us understand the impact this assistance has on recipients and their communities.
Guaranteed income pilots in places like Stockton, CA have already demonstrated the power of guaranteed income as an anti-poverty tool. Not only did the study in Stockton find those recipients of guaranteed income experienced significantly fewer fluctuations in their month-to-month income and greater ability to handle a financial emergency, but it also helps us to zoom out to see how poverty becomes one of the biggest barriers to economic mobility for low-income individuals and families in our community.
Moreover, over the course of the first year of the study, the number of recipients employed full-time grew twelve percentage points, compared to only five percentage points in a control group. With an extra $500/month, people were able to secure more reliable transportation to get to work, enroll their children in more consistent childcare, and take time off from their jobs to seek out better opportunities.
Far from leading people to work less, guaranteed income gave people the tools they needed to get over the barriers to stable, full-time income that kept them trapped in poverty. Once recipients were able to stabilize their finances, they could begin building the futures they wanted for themselves, their families, and their communities. I firmly believe low-income residents of Providence deserve this same opportunity.
You can read my full op-ed on the significance of this pilot program online here. Please help us get the word out about upcoming community meetings and the application period by visiting the Providence Guaranteed Income Program page.
Sincerely,
Jorge O. Elorza