Organization wants to bring direct cash assistance to Boone County residents
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missouri Jobs with Justice has applied for $5.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to create a direct cash assistance program in Boone County.
According to its application, the project would provide $500 per month to around 800 households for a one-year period. The households would be selected from a pool of applicants at or below the median income threshold.
"Most families report that they can't afford a $500 emergency, and COVID-19 made that financial insecurity a lot worse for people," said Richard von Glahn of Missouri Jobs with Justice.
The application states the recommended eligibility threshold in Boone County is households at or below 40% of the area median income. The median household income in Boone County is $66,564.
It states funding would include around $5 million in cash assistance and another $500,000 to spread out to community partners involved in the program.
"We don't look at it as a handout, we look at it as an investment," von Glahn said. "We talk about investments in our roads, investments in our schools, those are important, but investments in our neighbors are directly important, as well."
The application says the program would be modeled after a pilot currently happening in St. Louis.
According to St. Louis City's website, the Guaranteed Basic Income program uses $5 million in ARPA funding to give recipients a $500 monthly stipend for up to 18 months.
The website describes the program as "an effective way to combat the economic aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges faced by working people."
Current eligibility requirements in St. Louis state the applicant must be a St. Louis resident with a child under 18 enrolled in public school, have experienced negative financial impact due to the pandemic and have a combined household income of less than 170% of the federal poverty level.
The poverty level for 2024 is nearly $26,000 for a three-person household.
A 2022 Missouri Jobs with Justice evaluation of the St. Louis program found 9,300 people received $500 in direct cash assistance.
Data shows more than 33% of the funds were found to either be cashed out at an ATM or transferred to another account, followed by card transactions for groceries and utilities.
Missouri Jobs with Justice hopes to see programs like this spread.
"We do think these programs are important not just in St. Louis City and not just in Boone County, but would be an important consideration all across the state," von Glahn said.
While the Boone County ARPA application asks for $5.5. million, the organization says that is scalable. The amount of money can change depending on how many applicants the county wants to accept and how much money the county wants to give out.
It would also need funds to provide bank cards for program recipients and be able to create an online portal.
Boone County began its review of ARPA applications this week after receiving more than 100 requests for funds. Applications for funding total $54 million, with only $6.5 million available from the county.
The Boone County Commission will review each application and aims to announce which projects will be approved in the spring.
