Stimulus update: Alexandria residents to receive first $500 payments in February
Misty Severi
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A small collection of residents in Alexandria, Virginia, who were selected to receive an extra $500 a month for the next two years, can expect to receive their first check in February.
The city began notifying 170 of the applicants for the Alexandria Recurring Income for Success and Equity program that they had been randomly selected on Dec. 13.
“We believe we’re on track to get the first payment out in February of 2023,” ARISE coordinator Julie Mullen told the Washington Examiner. “However, all 170 participants must be onboarded before we can distribute the first payment. If there are any unforeseen hiccups as we onboard participants, it could delay the first payment. So far, we’re on track and are not foreseeing any delays.”
All 170 recipients are free to spend the money any way they like. Mayor Justin Wilson said the program was created with the intent of evolving how the city helps its residents who need financial support, according to a news release.
If one of the approved participants withdraws from the program, however, the city’s research partner, Abt Associates, will randomly select participants from the program’s application pool to replace the withdrawn candidate.
Applications for the program opened on Oct. 31 and closed on Nov. 9. To have been eligible, applicants must have been residents of the city, 18 or older, and earn 50% or less of Alexandria’s area median income, which varies depending on the number of people in the applicant’s household.
For people with only one person in a household, the monthly income limit is $4,154, with the annual income limit at $49,890. The monthly and annual limits increase slightly with every person in the house, with the monthly income limit for a two-person household being $4,746 and the annual limit for the same household being $56,950. The maximum yearly income allowed was $82,550 for a six-person household.
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There were no citizenship or work requirements necessary to be eligible for the pilot program, and additional information about the program can be found on Alexandria’s website.