Some families in D.C. will soon be getting direct cash payments as part of a program that’s fighting against truancy.
The program is being carried out at the Social Justice School, a charter school in Northeast, where 15 families will each get $2,400 over the course of three months, with money distributed weekly onto debit cards.
The first payments are due to start later this month.
The program is being administered by Mother’s Outreach Network, a racial justice and antipoverty nonprofit organization, and is largely funded through a grant program from D.C.’s Office of the Attorney General.
“What we hope to do is demonstrate the importance of providing parents with economic security so they don’t have to struggle to get their children to school, and they don’t have to struggle to keep food on the table,” said Melody Webb, executive director of Mother’s Outreach Network.
“Our larger initiative really is to address poverty and to address the family instability that results from poverty that sometimes leads to unhealthy behaviors and truancy,” said Webb.
According to Webb, some families struggle to get their kids to school, especially if they sometimes rely on ride-share companies.
“This can provide them with extra cash to get children to school,” said Webb. “We want the city to take a more progressive approach, which is to support families rather than punish them.”
This guaranteed income program is the first of its kind offered by a school in the District.
Families accepted into the program were considered to be at risk because they have a high exposure to gun violence or are significantly impacted by housing or food insecurity.
“The Office of the Attorney General recognizes the critical role local organizations play in helping ensure that young people have the tools and skills necessary for long-term success,” said D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb in a March news release.
He said “prevention work, along with policing and prosecution, is a critical component of any comprehensive public safety strategy that will help keep the District safe now and in the future.”
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