Hundreds of people in the city of Alexandria will receive the first monthly instalment of a pilot program beginning in February.
Alexandria Recurring Income for Success and Equity is a pilot study that provides the city’s economically struggling residents of Alexandria, Virginia with $500 over the course of 24 months. The funding is provided by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
170 residents were selected from 4,159 applicants under the ARISE program. City officials said they could not divulge the exact date, but promised to distribute the money in February.
“There are still a handful of unknowns… Participants will be notified regarding the exact timing of the first payment as soon as we know and we will share an update publicly shortly after that.”
In collaboration with the City of Alexandria, MoCaFi, which will also issue debit-like cards, will distribute the money. Participants are not required to have a bank account to receive their money. Recipients are free to use the money however they see fit, as there are no restrictions instated.
Application Process for ARISE
Participants must be a citizen of Alexandria, be at least 18 years of age, and have a household income equal to or below 50% of the area median income (AMI).
A household is a group of people who live and eat meals together. Household income is defined as all family members over the age of 18. Income is defined as wages earned plus financial benefits such as SSI, SSDI, TANF, and child support. The threshold for the program is $49,850 for a one-person household and $71,150 for a four-person household. For more information on full income limits, refer to ARISE website: https://www.alexandriava.gov/ARISE
