More than 4,100 hopeful residents applied for a new guaranteed income pilot program called Alexandria’s Recurring Income for Success and Equity (ARISE), which is set to provide residents with payments of $500 per month for two years, no strings attached.
Of the 4,149 applications received, just 170 will receive the funding through a lottery.
The application period was open from Oct. 31 though Nov. 9 and was open to City of Alexandria residents, 18 years old or older who have a household income at or below 50% of Alexandria’s area median income. There were no citizenship or work requirements to be eligible.
ARISE’s evaluation partner, Abt Associates, will randomly select 170 eligible applicants to receive $500 every month for 24 months to spend any way they choose.
“Thanks to the hard work of our community partners, we exceeded our expectations for reaching and encouraging Alexandrians to apply for ARISE,” said Justin Wilson, Mayor of the City of Alexandria. “Our goal was to ensure that eligible residents throughout the City knew about ARISE and applied to gain a chance to receive extra income and the ability to make choices that could improve their financial well-being, quality of life and future.”
Abt Associates will review submitted applications to remove duplicates and check eligibility requirements before they randomly select 170 ARISE participants from the verified applications.
Funding for the program — $3 million — comes from federally-provided American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars.
In December, city officials will notify those selected to participate in ARISE. Applicants not selected to participate in ARISE will receive an email notification. Applicants can also check the ARISE homepage for updates on the notification process. ARISE participants will receive their first checks by February 2023.
Visit alexandriava.gov/ARISE for more information about the ARISE guaranteed income pilot and program updates.
