Almost every American citizen is waiting for the newest updates on stimulus checks, and for good reason: these federal stimulus aid may be some of the only government aid available and accessible to many residents who have ben suffering the detrimental effects of COVID-19.
However, now that the economy is slowly recovering, lawmakers have decided that there is no need for stimulus checks. But millions of Americans who are struggling financially disagree, which is why news for the possibility of being eligible for another stimulus check is so enticing.
Read more: Low Employment Rates: Could it Affect Stimulus Checks?
Ann Arbor, Michigan, is getting over $24 million in federal stimulus funds under the American Rescue Plan Act. Because of this, city officials have big hopes of funding new initiatives which means residents could receive over $500 in stimulus checks over the next few years.
In response to a City Council directive, Acting City Administrator John Fournier has submitted a list of possible spending options, including $2.3 million for a universal basic income program.
Read more: Stimulus Check Update: New Golden State Check For California In November?
How this program works is that the city would work in tandem with researchers to study the program’s impact on recipients and the city. Ann Arbor’s apparent model for this, however, is a similar initiative out of Stockton, California.
There, officials gave out $500 checks to 125 mostly low-income area residents. And according to a Los Angeles Times report about the effort, recipients were found to be, because of this program, “healthier, showing less depression and anxiety and enhanced well-being.”
Read more: Here’s How to Get the New $1,800 Stimulus Check
The recipients of the money in Stockton were also noted to “have greater success finding full-time work or upgrading their employment. That turns on its head the conventional conservative argument that such programs will disincentivize the search for work and turn recipients into layabouts.”
The Times also writes, “Lower-income households have become more vulnerable to losing their jobs over the last year or being pushed over the edge to poverty by cutbacks in work hours or higher expenses for child care because of school closures. They also have fewer options for avoiding infection, say by staying home rather than subjecting themselves to exposure at work.
Interest in universal basis income has been rising among liberals and conservatives alike, although they have different understandings of its possible virtues.”
As of now, the city of Ann Arbor is looking at for how to spend its COVID funds include spending $1 million on social service programs.
Read more: Stimulus Check Update: $1,400 for Seniors and $600 for Grocery Store Workers
Additional possibilities include $3.5 million on buying properties to support affordable housing, and $2 million spent on community policing. Money could also go toward solar on city facilities, as well as a new bikeway Downtown.
The final decision will ultimately come from the local city council.
Stay updated with more news here at the East County Gazette.
