ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — Howard County is getting ready to implement a second round of Guaranteed Basic Income.
Phase two will hand out $500 per month for one year to a new set of families selected through a randomized lottery system.
Those chosen will receive an additional $500 per month deposited into a bank savings account that will become available in July 2027 pending the completion of a financial literacy program.
This differs from last year's pilot program which paid 20 families $1000 per month directly without the savings deposits.
Participants of the 2025 program now have the opportunity of opting into the $500 per month savings plan for a period of six months.
The county says this will help with "softening the benefits cliff" families will face once their monthly paychecks are cut off.
SEE ALSO: Baltimore City to launch pilot guaranteeing monthly salary to some low-income families
In order to qualify for the program, recipients must live in Howard County and have at least one dependent child 17 or younger living with them.
- Beneficiaries must have an income between 150 and 300 percent of the federal poverty level, and cannot already be on income-based housing assistance like Housing Choice Vouchers, BRHP, or MIHU.
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