Hundreds of Black women in Georgia soon could be getting roughly $800 a month as part of a new initiative to boost financial stability, mental health, and address the racial wealth gap.
Georgia Resilience and Opportunity (GRO) Fund and nonprofit GiveDirectly recently announced plans to give up to 650 Black women in the Peach State $850 a month in cash for two years — no strings attached — as part of a new program called “In Her Hands.”
Scheduled to launch as early as top of next year, the initiative looks to distribute more than $13 million. According to Huffington Post, it may be the largest guaranteed-income pilot program in the nation.
Members of the GRO Fund, many of whom are local elected officials, hope that with the unconditional cash offerings, individuals selected will not only see a financial difference in their lives but a shift in their mental health as well. The first round of funding will reportedly go out to participants located in Atlanta, more specifically in its Old Fourth Ward neighborhood, where income inequality is very pronounced.
The program moved forward with Black women because their group “face more economic insecurity as a result of systemic barriers like pay inequality and fewer economic buffers than nearly any other demographic in Georgia,” according to a statement on their website.
The organization highlighted how Black women have been affected especially at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic where it’s reported that they were more likely than any other group to face job loss and eviction. According to a report from the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, an estimated 26 percent of Black women live in poverty in the U.S. compared to 14 percent of their white peers.
Read full story at Atlanta Black Star here.
