Americans get $500 monthly “lottery” direct payments for two years – see if you get notified by Christmas

THOUSANDS of Americans are currently going through a lottery process for a $500-a-month Universal Basic Income (UBI) pilot, and some will be notified soon.

Until earlier this month, eligible residents in Alexandria, Virginia could apply for the cash assistance.

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Around 4,000 applications were received for the program, known as Alexandria Recurring Income for Success and Equity (ARISE).

However, only 170 people will be randomly selected by lottery to receive the $500 monthly direct payments, which will be paid out over two years.

When will you be notified?

The city is currently reviewing applications for the UBI pilot project.

Officials say participants will be notified by phone call, email and text beginning in December, provided those contact methods have been provided.

No exact date has been announced.

“If you haven’t heard from us, it doesn’t mean you haven’t been selected,” officials wrote.

“We will post another message once all 170 participants have been notified.”

You can check Update on the main page of the ARISE program.

Once contacted you have 14 days to respond or someone else who has applied will be chosen at random.

Admission Requirements

Eligibility depends on the income of Alexandria residents, which must be at or below 50 percent of the area median.

For example, this is $49,850 for a one-person household and $71,150 for a four-person household.

In addition, residents must be at least 18 years old.

Applications for the program had to be submitted by November 9th.

The first batch of monthly payments is due to go out in the last week of January and will be loaded onto a “debit-like card,” according to officials.

Monthly Cash Running Out

Across the country, a few other locations are sending UBI payments either now or in the coming weeks.

That includes Denver, Colorado, which last week began sending multiple batches of payments to hundreds of residents.

For example, 260 people receive $6,500 upfront, followed by $500 in monthly payments for 11 months.

Another tranche goes to 260 people who will receive $1,000 per month for a year.

And the last batch of 300 gets $50 a month for a year.

The payments aim to help people affected by housing insecurity.

Officials in Coachella, Calif., have launched an income program that will give 140 families $400 a month for two years.

Upon acceptance, participants can choose to have the funds deposited monthly into their checking account or loaded onto a prepaid card that they receive in the mail.

However, applications closed on Friday 11 November.

Eligible families will receive support from January 2023.

A new group of low-income residents in Rochester, New York, are also eligible for payments.

In early 2023, another 175 people will receive $500 in monthly payments.

In addition, Cook County has notified a total of 3,250 residents that they are eligible for $500 in monthly payments.

The first batch of cash is expected to arrive on Thursday, December 15, the local news outlet reports WTTW.

Here are the five direct payments, worth up to $1,050, that will be paid out this month.

And here’s the full list of cities and states across the country that offer monthly payments through universal basic income programs