While $500 a month may not have been enough to bring participants out of poverty, an assessment of the city’s guaranteed income pilot program found that it had a substantial impact on participants.
The program, labelled Alexandria’s Recurring Income for Success and Equity (ARISE) in a bit of a backronym, was funded in 2021 for $3 million out of the American Rescue Plan Act. The program gave 170 low-income Alexandria residents $500 per month for 24 months to assess the impact it would have on their lives. In June, the program recieved another $550,000 from the City Council to extend the program to June 2025.
