North Carolina is the latest state to try out a pilot Universal Basic Income program.
100 people will have a chance to receive $500 per month for 12 months.
This is happening in Durham, North Carolina as part of the StepUp Durham program.
The program is an experiment to see what happens to people’s lives with the added financial help.
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The pilot program is called Excel and will run from Jan. 2022 to Jan. 2023.
Those in the program will see $500 every month during that time.
Who can apply and how do they do it?
115 people will be chosen to participate in the program.
Requirements include being 18 or older, a resident of Durham, and you needed to have been incarcerated in the last 5 years.
You can’t earn more than 60% of the area’s median income.
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To apply, you can visit the online portal set up by Durham.
There’s a pre-screening process where you’ll need to give your name, email, and confirm your age.
If you are eligible your name will be put on an interest list.
115 applicants will be chosen at random by the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania.
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The $700,000 needed to create the program was given by the founder and former CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey.
Durham then added $110,000.
Other donors like Duke University added money as well.
$18,000 was given by the Bob Barker Company Foundation, which helps incarcerated individuals meet their needs.
UBI
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