That is no spooky trick: Salem is the most recent Massachusetts metropolis to leap into the fray of offering assured revenue to residents who will get to spend that cash “however they want.”
Officers within the Witch Metropolis are launching Uplift Salem, a pilot that might be handing out $500 month-to-month funds to 100 residents for a yr, becoming a member of the ranks of different progressive Bay State cities which have experimented with such packages.
This system is supposed to “help directly address poverty in our community,” Mayor Dominick Pangallo stated in a launch on Tuesday.
Cambridge, Somerville and Chelsea have all launched a assured revenue program over the previous few years within the restoration from the pandemic.
“We want Salem to be an affordable place for everyone, and a guaranteed income program offers an innovative approach to help achieve that goal,” Pangallo stated in an announcement. “Hopefully, the outcome of this year-long effort will be to add to the momentum for greater state and federal support for these programs and, most importantly, to lift up some of our most vulnerable neighbors here in Salem.”
Officers have their arms tied with how lengthy they’ll roll out this system as a result of its predominant funding supply, the federal American Rescue Plan Act, runs out on the finish of 2026.
The $685,000 pilot can also be being funded by means of a non-public contribution by way of UpTogether, a nationwide nonprofit that helps coordinate assured revenue packages throughout the nation.
Not each resident might be eligible to take part in this system. It’s restricted to those that dwell within the metropolis or are unhoused however spend the vast majority of their time in Salem and have family or household incomes at or beneath 100% of the federal poverty degree primarily based on family measurement.
Individuals might be “randomly selected” for eligible functions, and officers anticipate first funds to be delivered by Dec. 1.
“We know guaranteed income works to help families achieve economic mobility,” UpTogether CEO Jesús Gerena stated in an announcement. “They know what’s best for their families and can be trusted to make decisions that move them ahead.”
Two school researchers from Salem State College might be evaluating the effectiveness of this system on the 100 individuals and a “comparison group” of one other 100 people. Each teams might be compensated for taking part.
In Cambridge, researchers discovered {that a} month-to-month cost of $500 to 130 households for 18 months yielded “significant improvements in financial health, higher rates of employment, increased time and space for parenting, and improved educational outcomes for children.”
That program preceded an expanded iteration during which Cambridge officers are investing $22 million in ARPA funds into reaching 2,000 households dwelling at or beneath 250% of the federal poverty line.
Somerville launched its program in July, offering $750 month-to-month funds for bills that individuals “identify themselves.”
For the Salem program, functions might be open beginning Oct. 28 and can stay open for 2 weeks or till 350 eligible functions have been obtained.
