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500 New Mothers in New York Will Soon Get Monthly Cash

A New York City guaranteed income pilot is geared at easing the burdens of pregnancy and new motherhood. Early data show women spent the money on essentials like diapers and child care. 

A New York City guaranteed income program is giving monthly payments to pregnant women and new mothers in high-poverty NYC neighborhoods. 

A New York City guaranteed income program is giving monthly payments to pregnant women and new mothers in high-poverty NYC neighborhoods. 

Photographer: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP
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Corrected

As a single mother of a young boy and a baby, Kassandra Hernandez has spent a lot of brainpower thinking about how to stretch every last dollar. 

Juggling a part-time job in medical billing with child care made even more spotty by Covid quarantines meant income trickled in unpredictably. Her grocery trips are subsidized by the government, but food wasn’t the only thing her family needed. Sometimes, she said, a carton of yogurt purchased with food benefits would rot in the fridge while she scrambled to buy other essential baby items and pay her rent.