$1,000, No Strings Attached, For Pregnant Women In New York

Certain pregnant women in New York can get $1,000 each month for 15 months. A pilot program that provided free money to expecting moms is now permanent. Applications are being accepted in two New York cities.

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The Bridge Project began giving money to expecting moms as a way to help them bridge the gap.

Unconditional cash can change the future of New York. Starting with mothers and their babies, we can eliminate the deeply paternalistic approach we take to solving child poverty, empower those who have been repeatedly torn down by a system that doesn’t trust, and start a nationwide conversation and movement.

Credit: The Bridge Project via Youtube

The Monarch Foundation began the unconditional cash allowance program in 2021. The money is given to expectant and new moms to help support their babies during their first 1,000 days. Moms are provided with $1,000 a month for the first 18 months and $500 a month for the last 18 months. There are no strings attached to the cash, according to The Bridge Project.

The program is currently accepting applications from expectant mothers in New York City and Rochester. A recent social media post said the organization was accepting applications from women in Buffalo, but the application seems to be closed now.

Giving people cash is intuitive: Low-income families lack flexible cash, live paycheck to paycheck, and are unable to save and generate wealth. Providing them with consistent, unconditional, and immediate cash is sometimes all it takes to lift them out of poverty.

While there is no employment requirement, the requirements listed on the New York City application page are:

- 18 years old or older
- 23 weeks pregnant or less (first child only)
- Annual household income of less than $52,000
- Live in New York City

APPLY HERE

The requirements for Rochester:

- 18 years old or older
- 23 weeks pregnant or less (first child only)
- Annual household income of less than $40,000
- Live in Rochester

APPLY HERE

The Bridge Project shared the results of Phases I and II. It said about half of the money was used towards rent. The rest of the money was used for items like diapers, wipes, and food.

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17 Towns Across New York State Are The Best Towns To Raise Kids

A list titled "Best small towns to raise a family" was recently compiled by Stacker, who used data from Niche to come up with the Top 50 small towns across the country that would be the ideal place to put down roots and raise some kids. They looked at various factors, including public schools, jobs, and the cost of living in towns across the U.S. with a population under 5,000.

We are proud to report, New York owned this list. We took 17 slots! Here's who made the list:

Gallery Credit: Dave Wheeler

Source: $1,000, No Strings Attached, For Pregnant Women In New York