Cambridge To Offer $500 Per Month To Low-Income Families

CAMBRIDGE, MA — Cambridge will begin accepting applications in June for a new initiative that will provide monthly payments to families struggling with poverty, the city announced in a news release Tuesday.

The $22 million program, called Rise Up Cambridge, will provide all Cambridge households with at least one child 21 years old or younger and earning at or below 250 percent of the Federal Poverty Level with $500 per month for 18 months, officials said.

"The goal of Rise Up Cambridge is to equip families with economic mobility through direct cash assistance for families with children to allow them to meet their basic needs," the city wrote in the news release.

Funded through the American Rescue Plan Act and run in partnership with the Office of Mayor Siddiqui, Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee, and the Cambridge Community Foundation, Rise Up Cambridge is the only city-wide cash assistance program of its kind in the country, according to officials. SNAP, TANF, SSI, and restricted-housing benefits will not be affected.

Program eligibility is determined by the following ratios of family size to income:

• Family of two: $49,300
• Family of three: $62,150
• Family of four: $75,000
• Family of five: $87,850

“With Rise Up, we’re building off the tremendous positive impact we saw from the Cambridge RISE pilot, which showed us how far $500 a month goes toward establishing financial stability for families and creating better outcomes for our kids,” said Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui. “There is no better investment we can make as leaders than in our families.”

City Manager Yi-An Huang added that The American Rescue Plan Act "has provided the City of Cambridge a unique opportunity to develop this $22 million program."

“There is a deep dignity to giving people the choice and power to decide what they need," Huang continued. "For some people, it will be education. For others, it will be childcare or housing or food or a night out to relax and celebrate life. We all have unique needs and expect to be able to make choices. This program trusts families to make their own decisions and that is the right thing to do."

According to the 2017 - 2021 American Community Survey, 12.3% of all people in Cambridge and 7.4% of all families in Cambridge had incomes below the poverty line.

The registration period for Rise Up Cambridge will be open starting June 1, with initial payments beginning June 30. To learn more about Rise Up Cambridge and program eligibility, visit www.cambridgema.gov/riseup.