ARISE, which is the acronym for Alexandria Recurring Income for Success and Equity, is a guaranteed income scheme aimed at providing a monthly payment of $500 for 170 applicants who are deemed eligible. The benefits will be given out for a period of 24 months.
According to the official reports, the program is considered as successful as it received a total number of 4,159 applications. From this total number, only 170 people were selected, who qualified to enjoy the benefit.
The selection was a random process. Now, a piece of good news for the applicants has been announced by the authorities which said that the selected 170 applicants will start to receive their benefits by the last week of January. They will receive a sum of $500 for 24 months.
The leading partner for the City of Alexandria in this scheme is the fine tech company MoCaFi. It is a financial services platform that offers different services. One of the main objectives behind the company is to close the financial gap that exists in society.
So, the company will assist the concerned authorities in distributing the payment to the applicants. The payment will be provided through a debit-like card. One of the major things that should be kept in mind is that in order to receive the said benefit, it is not mandatory for the recipients to have a bank account.
The program ARISE aims to offer help to the most vulnerable citizens in the city. The fund will be provided to them for almost two years. The American Rescue Act which was passed by Congress was signed into law by the president in March 2021.
The funding for ARISE comes from this act now. Steps to notify the selected 170 applicants were started early in December 2022 and the fund is expected to be distributed in the last week of this month.
ARISE opened the chance for people to apply for the scheme early October 31, 2022, and the application was open till November 9, 2022. Authorities received around 4,159 applications within this limited time. The 170 people had been selected randomly from these 4,159 applications.
The evaluation partner for the scheme was Abt Associates. People who receive the money should also know that the ten scheme is a no strings attached one, which means that the people receiving the benefit are free to spend the received money according to their wishes.
Also, the amount which is distributed as an additional benefit can be received according to the convenience of the applicant. They can choose to receive it each month throughout the year or as a single installment annually.
There had been quite some questions about the eligibility to appear for other benefits of people deemed eligible for the ARISE program.
In regards to that doubt, people who are selected for the benefit can still receive benefits from similar government schemes like the social security benefit and also Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and child care subsidies.
While there will only be 170 people who will be eligible for financial assistance, the program will also select an additional number of 210 people randomly. While they do not receive any cash benefits like the other 170, they will be rewarded with cash incentives for their participation in the survey.
Here are some of the basic things that you should know about ARISE
Eligibility Criteria
ARISE is a guaranteed income program where the most vulnerable applicants in the city of Alexandria will receive financial support of $500 each month for two years.
In order to qualify for the program, the person should be 18 years or older than them and most importantly, should be a resident of the city of Alexandria. Apart from that, the household income of the applicant should be at or below 50% of the Area Median Income.
Date For Application
The actual date to submit the application was opened on October 31, 2022, and the date lasted till November 9, 2022. As of now, no new applications are being selected. The authorities received around 4,159 applications and they have selected 170 people from the eligible applicants.
As of December 13, 2022, they have started to contact the people who had been selected for the benefit through emails, phone calls, and text messages.
The best place to approach now about being selected for any such information is the ARISE website, where timely updates about the notifications will be posted.
Documents Needed To Apply
Another perk of the application process is the fact that there is no requirement for any documents for people to apply for this program. The applicants are also not needed to upload copies of any of their documents also.
As there is no involvement of any documents, the verification regarding the residency of the applicant will be determined by the staff. The applicant can even sign a self-attestation that confirms their residency in the acuity of Alexandria.
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How Will Applicants Receive Their Money?
The first payments through the scheme are intended to go out in the last week of January and the process will be taking place with the assistance of MoCaFi, where the money will be distributed through debit-like cards.
The card is said to be a well-equipped technical tool that will give them access to their money in a variety of ways. Also, the received money does not be claimed on the tax return as income, rather it will be recognized as a ‘gift’ on tax returns rather than income.
This will ensure that people do not need to pay tax on this money and they will not be required to fill out any additional form during their tax returns as a result of receiving this benefit of $500.
The program aims to help thirty-seven percent of households in the city of Alexandria that live below the threshold which is necessary to meet their basic needs. Keep following the page and we will inform you about the latest updates to the scheme as soon as it is made available.
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