How to Move Guaranteed Income from Program to Policy
“If you want to reduce poverty, cash matters. That is the central lesson we have gained from a six-year nationally recognized guaranteed-income program in Jackson, MS.
Springboard to Opportunities—the organization we both work for—began operations in 2013 with the goal to break cycles of generational poverty that are particularly persistent in Black communities.
For the first five years, Springboard operated programs for education reentry, workforce development, and afterschool programs, but our families told us they didn’t need another program. They needed cash. So, in 2018, Springboard launched the Magnolia Mother’s Trust(MMT) to provide direct payments to Black mothers.
We are proud of what our program has accomplished and what similar programs across the country have done. But it is past time to move from programs to policy.”
More at Nonprofit Quarterly.