Pomona, California, has launched a new guaranteed income scheme that will pay $500 monthly to parents or legal guardians of children under four.
Funding for the initiative, known as the City of Pomona Household Universal Grants Initiative (HUG), will come from $2.4 million allocated by the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act. The act was established in 2021 to expedite the nation’s recovery from the COVID-19 epidemic.
Upon program commencement, Pomona residents will have the opportunity to apply for the monthly payments. After that, beginning in July, qualified candidates will get their funds monthly for 18 months.
The Pomona HUG, in partnership with FORWARD, a group that has overseen such initiatives in other towns in Southern California, will be live online on June 17 and be controlled by the city of Pomona.
Using a lottery system, 600 qualified individuals will be divided into two groups and given the opportunity to participate in the program. A total of 250 individuals would be allocated $500 monthly and given access to additional resources and support services in Pomona and through Los Angeles County.
Researchers will compare the 250 recipients of the $500 checks to another 350 individuals who will serve as a control group and receive a $20 monthly payout while being closely observed.
Participation in surveys offered by either UCLA or the University of California, Los Angeles, will qualify both groups for $50 extra rewards. As a component of the program, participants in both the paid and control groups will have access to complimentary services for resource navigation and benefits counseling.
The following are the prerequisites-
You must be a resident of Pomona.
You must be at least 18 years old.
You must have a kid under the age of four, either as a parent or legal guardian.
One of the following requirements must be satisfied-
You lived through the COVID-19 pandemic’s adverse effects.
Your home is in a qualified census tract (QCT)
You are receiving government assistance. (Federal Pell Grant, Medicaid, MediCal, CHIP, or your family’s income is at or below 65 percent of the Area Median Income.)
Eligible participants will be informed of the program’s acceptance status by August 12. On August 16, you will receive the first payments using a reloadable debit card that MoCaFi will offer you on August 26.
