In a city where about one in three residents live below the federal poverty line, the pilot program will be a much-needed source of financial relief, helping vulnerable Brick City residents to fight back against a cycle of economic insecurity, officials said.
The city will start with an initial cohort of 30 residents before ramping up to residents in fall See more information about the program here. According to officials :. In Newark, qualifying residents must be at least 18 years of age, live in the city, and have an income level at or below percent of the federal poverty threshold.
The pilot will target a wide range of residents, including people facing housing insecurity, undocumented immigrants, newly housed and formerly homeless, formerly incarcerated people and youth aging out of the foster care system.
To recruit the first cohort of residents, the program worked closely with more than 30 nonprofits and municipal departments to identify residents who qualified. Outreach to roughly 1, Newark residents will continue through virtual informational sessions hosted in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, and a campaign including emails, phone calls and text messages, officials said.
Newark residents who are interested in participating can contact the program manager for the Newark Movement for Economic Equity, Hawaa Muhammad, at or hawwa newarkequity. The program will be studied over its two-year lifespan, with research led by the Center for Guaranteed Income Research in partnership with Mayors for a Guaranteed Income.
