Stimulus update: Direct payments worth $400 being sent to immigrant families every month under universal basic income plan
Asher Notheis
Video Embed
A universal basic income plan in California is giving $400 to 140 immigrant families every month. The families are free to spend the money as they see fit.
The Immigrant Families Recovery Program is a partnership between the city of Coachella, California, and the nonprofit organization Mission Asset Fund, which is paying the monthly $400 payments. Applicants selected for the program were prioritized if they were excluded from federal assistance at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
CALIFORNIA BILL CREATES PATH TO EARLY RELEASE FOR INMATES SERVING LIFE SENTENCES
A total of 390 applicants filed to join the program, from which 140 were chosen. Some of the recipients will get $400 every month for 12 months, and others will get the monthly payment for 24 months. Mission Asset Fund is studying what works best for each group, according to Desert Sun.
To be eligible for the program, applicants had to be residents of Coachella, be at least 18 years old, and have a current, nonexpired, government-issued photo ID. Applicants also had to provide proof they had a child who was 17 or younger in 2021, had been excluded from any federal coronavirus relief in 2020 or 2021, and either made under $75,000 in 2021 or had a total household income below $150,000 in 2021.
The $1,008,000 to support the program comes from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds and Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.
Applications opened on Oct. 12 and closed in February. The program is set to conclude in February 2025.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
California has several scheduled payments going out to residents of specific areas of the state. In Sonoma County, the Pathway to Income Equity pilot program will pay 305 recipients a monthly payment of $500 in 22 days, and in El Monte, 125 applicants are expected to start receiving $500 monthly payments on June 1.
The Washington Examiner contacted Mission Asset Fund for comment.