TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma families are being invited to apply for a program that would provide them with $500 monthly, no strings attached, given they meet certain requirements.
Growing Resilience in Tacoma 2.0 (GRIT) is a 12-month guaranteed cash gift project done in partnership between the United Way of Pierce County, the Washington State Economic Services Administration, the City of Tacoma and the Pierce County government.
Beginning in April of this year and lasting into 2025, project participants will receive $500 monthly payments which they can use in whatever way they wish. The project aims to show that direct cash investments can "reduce feelings of overwhelm and toxic stress, improve economic stability, increase housing security and improve health and well-being while reducing poverty in our community."
Applications for the project open on March 1. The project specifically targets asset-limited, income-constrained, employed (ALICE) households who live within certain zip codes within the city of Tacoma:
- 98404
- 98405
- 98408
- 98409
- 98418
- 98444
- 98445
Family household income must be above the federal poverty line but below 200% of the federal poverty line for their household size.
Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 65 in a single head of household family with children who are 17 or younger, or 21 and younger if they are disabled.
This will be the city of Tacoma's second experiment with universal basic income. Its first study supplying a $500 monthly payment to ALICE families began in 2021. The results of that project have yet to be released.
A link to the application page will be live here on March 1.
