Thousands of Shreveport Residents Sign Up for Free Money
More than 22 thousand people have applied for the guaranteed income program in Shreveport. The deadline was Monday night. This massive list will be narrowed down to just 110 lucky families who will get a check for 660 dollars each month for a year.
The number of people applying for the program represents more than 10% of the city's total population. Our latest number from the census has the population at 187, 593.
The goal of the program is to see if this money can help give these families a boost so they can begin to see a more positive economic future down the road.
The program is funded by the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income which solicits private money. But the Caddo Parish Commission has chipped in more than 400,000 dollars for the pilot program in Shreveport.
Who Is Eligible to Be Part of the Guaranteed Income Program?
To qualify, you have to be a single parent, living in Shreveport, have a school-aged child and earn below 120% of the Federal Poverty Level, which ranges from an annual income of $17,420 for a family of two to $44,660 for a family of eight..
KTAL reports the city plans to research how this money will impact the stability of the participating families’ income, employment, financial stability, and mental and physical health. Researchers will also track and evaluate changes in behavior, school attendance, and academic performance for school-aged children.
Participants will be chosen from Shreveport residents and at least 50% of the applicants will be picked from the five poorest zip codes in Shreveport which are 71101, 71103, 71107, 71108, 71109.
What Will Happen Now with the Guaranteed Income Program?
Here's the statement from the city:
Once participants are selected, a second lottery will sort eligible applicants. Participants will be randomly selected into an “treatment intervention group,” and a “control group,.” or a non-participant group. The intervention group will receive the guaranteed income. The control group will NOT receive the guaranteed income, but will be invited to participate in future research activities. The control group allows us to understand the impact of guaranteed income over time amongst two similar groups of people: one who receives guaranteed income and one who does not. People assigned to the non-participant group will not receive a guaranteed income through the program and will not be invited to participate in any further research activities.
Applicants are expected to be notified if they have been selected within 3 weeks.