MADISON, Wis. — About 3,000 people applied for a pilot program that gives low-income families in Madison $500 a month, city officials said Wednesday. The program’s first payments have already been handed out.
The Madison Forward Fund was announced earlier this year as a way to help families in need purchase basic necessities. The money is given unconditionally, meaning recipients do not have to meet any work requirements.
RELATED: Madison launches pilot program offering $500 monthly payments to families in need
Applicants had to have a household income less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Line, have at least one child younger than 18 living in their home and be permanent Madison residents.
Of those that applied, 155 families were selected at random. Officials said that the size of the applicant pool shows that the need for assistance far exceeds what the program offers.
“My hope is that a growing group of mayors will lead the way on educating people about the concept,” Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said in a statement Wednesday.
The funds for the program — $930,000 in total — were sourced by donations from private donors; no city tax dollars will be spent on Madison’s pilot program.
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