Families struggling to make ends meet could find more cash in their pockets if the Montgomery County Council moves ahead with a pilot program designed to provide economic stability within the Maryland county.
The Guaranteed Income Pilot Program would give 300 Montgomery County households — they could be families or individuals — $800 a month for 24 months. The plan is flexible, and recipients can spend the money how they see fit.
It’s modeled after a California program, the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration or SEED program, that resulted in minimizing dramatic fluctuations in family finances and allowed some recipients to find full-time jobs, according to information cited in the county council’s analysis.
Under the plan, the county would provide $2 million in a special appropriation, while The Meyer Foundation has committed $1 million in support. That would provide enough funding for the first seven months of the pilot program. The total cost to operate for 24 months would come to $5.7 million.
The Montgomery County Council plans a public hearing on the issue for Nov. 2.
