Stimulus update: Three direct monthly payments worth up to $500 to start going out next month
Asher Notheis
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New Year is in less than two weeks away, and with it comes several monthly programs that will provide people with payments worth up to $500.
All three of these programs are using funds the cities received in response from COVID-19, and will give money to recipients once a month. Some families will be given more money depending on certain situations, such as the number of people in their household and if they are seniors or veterans.
The CHELSEA EATS program (Chelsea, Massachusetts)
This program intended for Chelsea residents will give payments to families to help them pay for everyday items, such as food and utility bills. The amount one receives from this payment will depend on how many people live in an applicant’s household, with recipients with one person getting $200, recipients with two people getting $300, and recipients with three or more getting $400, according to the city’s website.
To apply for this program, an applicant’s household income must be at or below 30% of the HUD Area Median Income, and their application must be submitted no later than Jan. 6 of next year. Once all applications are received, recipients will be selected for this program via a weighted lottery, with a preference given to certain applicants, including those with children under 18, veterans, senior citizens, and disabled residents, among others.
The city has asked applicants to wait up to four weeks for the applications to process once all applicants are received on Jan. 6, 2023.
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The Coachella Immigrant Families Recovery Program (Coachella, California)
Coachella’s program will provide $400 monthly to 140 low-income immigrant families over the course of up to two years. Instead of using a lottery selection, recipients will be selected based on who will benefit the most from this program.
The deadline to file for this program ended last month on Nov. 11, and the program’s funding was made possible thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act as well as Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The purpose of the program, a partnership between the city and Mission Asset Fund, is to help low-income immigrant families who were excluded from federal assistance to help families recover from the impacts of COVID-19, according to KESQ.
“We have developed a comprehensive universal basic income program that targets our most vulnerable residents,” said Mayor Steven Hernandez. “Together with MAF, we intend to make this program successful by changing the lives of those families.”
Notifications of approval will start being sent out on Dec. 27, with payments being issued starting in the New Year, according to MAF.
Alexandria’s Recurring Income for Success and Equity (Alexandria, Virginia)
Alexandria’s Recurring Income for Success and Equity (ARISE), will randomly select 170 eligible applicants and give them $500 every month for 24 months. Once the recipients are selected, they will be sent the money every month and will be free to spend the money as they please.
Applications for this program were accepted from Oct. 31 through Nov. 9. To be eligible for this, applicants needed to be residents of Alexandria, be 18 or older, and make 50% or less of Alexandria’s area median income, according to the city’s website.
“We are providing financial resources to individuals and families so they are empowered to decide how to best meet the needs in their lives,” said Mayor Justin Wilson. “We are creating this unique program to evolve the ways that we assist our neighbors in need of extra support. That is what ARISE is about.”
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Details about the program, including the city’s area median income, are available on the city’s website.