Ulster County Moves Forward with UBI Pilot Program
On Thursday, April 1, 100 lucky Ulster County residents will get the call of a lifetime — an invitation to participate in a new universal basic income program to receive $6,000 over the next year. The financial aid will come in monthly installments of $500 as part of the new Ulster County Project Resilience Universal Basic Income Pilot Program.
The funding for Project Resilience will come from the $2.5 million donated by individuals and foundations, in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Guaranteed Income, Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, and Ulster Savings Bank.
Last week, 200 total applicants were selected, though their names have not been made public. 100 of those chosen will receive the monthly stipends, as part of the participant group, while the other 100 will be treated as a control group, receiving not a monthly stipend but instead a small payment for participation in the study. Project Resilience will use quarterly surveys to track changes in their mental and physical health and employment status, in order to track the efficacy of a UBI in improving the quality of life for residents.
By May 1, the selected Ulster County households must formally accept or deny their invitation to participate. Those who choose to be a part of the program will receive their first stipend that month, to be continued through April 2022.
With 200 households involved, the program is the biggest of its kind in New York State and the first to initiate it county-wide. The town of Hudson was the first to implement a UBI initiative in November 2020, but it only served twenty low-income residents. A few other New York communities, including Jamestown, Ithaca, and Mount Vernon, NY, have also begun the process of implementing UBI programs. The UBI is even a key component of Andrew Yang’s platform as he campaigns in the New York City mayoral race.
While discussions of a universal basic income have been in the state legislature since 2019, the pandemic reinvigorated the economic instability, demonstrating to Ulster County Executive Patrick Ryan that his constituents needed aid more than ever.
“I am very excited that Ulster County is the first county in the country to undertake a large-scale UBI pilot program, where we will provide much-needed economic relief directly to families across the county,” he said.
With 4,200 applicants, County Executive Ryan was “heartbroken” by the widespread necessity of financial aid. However, he recognizes this is an important first step and is excited to move forward with the process, hoping its results can be used in the broader national discussion about universal programs of its kind.
“Enrolling these participants is a major milestone in this process,” he said. “We look forward to seeing the impact on the lives of our residents and participating in the national conversation about the importance of creating this policy to help people in need across the country.”
