With local officials unable or unwilling to lift up low-income mothers and cut childhood poverty, an outside group is coming to Buffalo to implement what seems like the most obvious remedy for people trying to get by without enough money: Give them more money.
After launching in New York City in 2021 and expanding to Rochester last year, the Bridge Project plans to start giving cash – no strings attached – to low-income expectant mothers in Buffalo on Feb. 1.
One of several such programs begun in response to hardships exacerbated by the pandemic, the guaranteed income program launched with 100 mothers the first year, added 500 in 2022 and another 500 in New York City and Rochester in 2023. Participants receive up to $1,000 a month in biweekly payments for three years.
The Buffalo effort will begin with 50 mothers who’ll each get a one-time prenatal stipend of $1,125. Then they’ll receive $750 a month for the first 15 months, and $375 a month for the final 21 months of the program. The initiative also will offer supports like connecting them with doulas as well as mental health and benefits counseling.
Using media, public officials and community organizations to get the word out, TBP attracted 260 applicants for the 50 slots, founder and President Holly Fogle said by email. The women had to be Buffalo residents in their 23rd week or less of pregnancy and with a household income of $40,000 or less. The Buffalo effort is expected to cost just over $1 million and is funded by private donations, primarily from the New York City-based Monarch Foundation, whose mission includes eradicating child poverty.
That also is TBP’s mission, which makes the effort a natural fit for Buffalo, where more than 43% of the kids are poor.
Data shows poor spend wisely
Fogle said they will track the program’s long-term impact, though there already is a “wealth of data, including on the (return on investment) of investing in childhood…
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