Philadelphia is Paying Pregnant Women $1,000 a Month in New Program

A new trial program in Philadelphia is offering financial support to people during pregnancy.

The Philly Joy Bank program is giving $1,000 a month to 250 pregnant Philadelphia residents, from their second trimester to the baby’s first birthday. The trial program aims to reduce racial disparities in the city’s infant mortality, per the program’s official website.

To be eligible, residents must be pregnant, have a household income of less than $100,000 annually, and live in one of the three Philly neighborhoods with the highest rates of very low birth weight: Cobbs Creek, Strawberry Mansion or Nicetown-Tioga. Families will also be offered voluntary assistance such as home visits, financial counseling, and doula help, among other services. 

According to recent data from the Department of Public Health, Philadelphia’s infant mortality rate is 40% higher than the national rate. Black and Hispanic people were the top two ethnic groups “disproportionately impacted” in categories linked to child deaths, such as prematurity, perinatal conditions, and sleep-related deaths.

Philly Joy Bank was established by Philadelphia Community Action Network (CAN) to help combat the city’s racial disparities in infant mortality rates by building a community of awareness and education.

“Black infants in our city are over three times more likely to die before their first birthday than White infants,” the program’s website states. 

“It doesn’t have to be that way,” Dr. Stacey Kallem, director of the Philadelphia Division of Maternal, Child and Family Health, said, per Whyy. “Alleviating financial stress during pregnancy can have real and positive impacts on birth outcomes. And the way to alleviate financial stress is actually pretty simple — you give people cash.”

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So far, 111 people have signed up for the trial program, per Daily Mail.

Public and private funds of $6 million were raised over two years to support the Philly Joy Bank program, Whyy reported. The money can be used by recipients for whatever they need.

Program member Imani Davis said, per Whyy, “All your money has to go to bills, all your money has to make sure you have food on the table or a roof over your head, so you might not have extra money for a stroller or a crib. This is where the guaranteed income will make an impact.”