It's Payday For NYC's Poor
Twenty-five bucks for attending a parent-teacher conference, $100 for a trip to the dentist Under a new experimental anti-poverty program, qualifying individuals will be able to [earn as much as $6000](http://www.nysun.com/article/56868.) for partaking in good behaviors, like getting their kids library cards, going to the doctor and holding steady jobs. Linda Gibbs, deputy mayor for health and human services, announced the details of the programwhich [we first told you about](http://nypress.com/blogx/display_blog.cfm?bid=20017625) in Marchyesterday.
About 13,000 families will be eligible for the payments, which are supposed to encourage activities that have been shown to reduce poverty. The $53 million price tag will be covered by private donations, including [cash from Mayor Bloomberg himself]. While similar payment systems (sometimes referred to as healthy lifestyle payments or conditional cash transfers) have already been implemented in countries throughout the world, this will be the first trial on American soil.
The program is, of course, raising some eyebrows, especially from those who believe that it reinforces the misguided notion that poverty is a simple consequence of poor choices. But Bloomberg, whos so passionate about the program that hes reached into his own pockets, said in a statement that he believes it gives New Yorkers in poverty a financial incentive to look ahead and make decisions that will improve their prospects for the future. Because improving your prospects for the future in itself just isnt incentive enough.
Photo courtesy of [R80o (Mark Strozier) on Flickr]