The Richmond Resilience Initiative (RRI), the City of Richmond’s guaranteed income pilot program made possible by strategic and financial support from Robins Foundation, has been operational for a year. To raise awareness of the effort, especially in preparation for a program expansion slated for 2022, the city is hosting a panel discussion.

The panel will feature four participants in the Richmond Resilience Initiative in a conversation moderated by Mayor Stoney. It will take place on December 15 at 7 p.m. The event will be streamed live on the city’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/rva.gov), and anyone interested in learning about guaranteed income is encouraged to attend virtually.

In the discussion, participants Alvin, Montell and Peggy will speak to the role guaranteed income has played in their financial decision-making, their goals for the future, and how they believe the city can better support its residents.

To learn more about the panel and the program, visit the program hub, a dedicated webpage for RRI: https://www.rva.gov/community-wealth-building/richmond-resilience-initiative. The hub includes a report on the program so far, information on the cohort, FAQs, and an opportunity to support ongoing guaranteed income initiatives.                                                                              

Background:

Through the Richmond Resilience Initiative, a group of 18 Richmonders receive $500 per month for 24 months. There are no restrictions on how or when participants can spend the money.

Richmond’s program is designed to address “the cliff effect,” an economic phenomenon that occurs when individuals get a job or a promotion that makes them ineligible for federal benefits such as SNAP or EBT. While these individuals have fallen “off the cliff” when it comes to the social safety net, they still do not make the living wage required to survive and, ultimately, thrive.

The current RRI participants are all in this situation, with income too high to qualify for federal benefits and too low to constitute a living wage. Guaranteed income is a tool to close that gap.

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