A big city on the west coast just approved a pilot program that will give hundreds of dollars a month to a group of residents with no strings attached.
The guaranteed income pilot will distribute $725 per month to about 200 families in Sacramento, California for a year.
The program, called Family First Sacramento, has been unanimously approved by the county’s board of directors, reports the ABC-affiliated news station KXTV.
It’s designed to help African American and Native American families with children under 5 years-old.
Families that apply for the program will be placed in a lottery system and payouts are set to begin in July.
Michelle Callejas, director of Sacramento County’s Department of Child, Family and Adult Services, says the program is designed to target families who need help the most.
“These are families that are living within high rates of poverty across all the zip codes. In this case, African American and Native American children zero to five and their families are most disproportionately impacted by the child welfare system.”
Family First Sacramento says that based on previous trials around the US, they expect people to spend the money on essentials like food, housing, transportation, health care and education.
Details on the sign-up process and time frame have not yet been announced.
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