Hundreds Of Black Women To Get $850 Per Month In Guaranteed Income That Could Go Towards Their Startup

Hundreds of Black women in Georgia will receive a guaranteed monthly income of $850 to improve their mental health and address the racial wealth gap. This money has no conditions attached, meaning they could use it towards their startup costs.

The In Her Hands program will grant 650 Black women below the federal poverty line the cash with no conditions attached for two years. 

Launching early next year and distributing more than $13 million, it is poised to be one of the US’s largest guaranteed income pilot programs.

The median Black family in the U.S. owns $3,600 in wealth — about 2% of the $147,000 that the median white family owns, per 2019 research from the Institute for Policy Studies. And in Georgia, about 26% of Black women live in poverty, compared to 14% of white women.

In a press release Hope Wollensack, executive director of the GRO Fund, said: “Black women are among the most likely groups to experience cash shortfalls that make covering basic needs difficult. This isn’t the result of poor choices; it’s the result of pervasive economic insecurity that has the sharpest impacts on women and communities of color,

“Guaranteed income is a step toward creating a more just and equitable economy,” she added.

It’s been tested at a large scale in Kenya and India with positive results, including improved nutrition, and in Finland, where recipients reported improvements in their health and well-being.