$500 per month for 100 residents
Ryan unveils yearlong initiative in annual address, says he will work for ‘better, stronger, more equitable’ future
KINGSTON, N.Y. » Ulster County will give 100 county residents a universal basic monthly income of $500 apiece for one year under a pilot program intended to analyze the impact of a guaranteed income on individuals’ lives and behaviors.
County Executive Pat Ryan announced the initiative in his State of the County address, which, due to social distancing concerns stemming from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, was recorded in advance of being shown Tuesday afternoon on his official Facebook page.
In the roughly 14-minute address, Ryan laid out a brief but bold vision of “resilience and renewal” for the upcoming year that he said will use “compassion, ingenuity, urgency, equity and economic justice” to guide the county from the “darkness and difficulties of the past year” to a future that is “bet
ter, stronger and more equitable.”
Perhaps the boldest of the initiatives is the Basic Universal Income pilot program, which will provide a guaranteed $500 monthly income to 100 eligible county households from May 1, 2021, to April 30, 2022, for a total of $6,000 per recipient.
The initiative is a partnership among the county’s Project Resilience, the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research, Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, and Ulster Savings Bank. The money will come from Project Resilience and Community Foundations, and the bank will set up bank accounts and provide debit cards.
“One of my biggest takeaways from the challenges of this last year is that, ultimately, families know how best to meet their needs,” Ryan said in his address. “We can continue to overdesign rigid, bureaucratic programs ... or we can trust and empower you to take care of your family.”
Although there are a number of similar pilot programs in a handful of cities throughout the county, Ryan said Ulster County is one of the first counties, if not the first, to start such a program.
“We’re really excited about this,” Ryan said in a phone interview after his speech was streamed. “What we’re really trying to understand is, is there a better way to get relief to people coming out of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic?”
Eligible participants must have an annual income of no more than $46,900 and will be selected via a lottery system run by the University of Pennsylvania. Chosen participants must agree to share information, including how they spend the money, with the university’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research.
“I’m proud that, once again, Ulster County will lead the way — implementing bold, creative solutions, at no additional cost to our taxpayers, in a moment when so many are counting on us,” Ryan said.
On another matter, Ryan said the coming year will bring an acceleration of the county’s efforts to combat climate change, which he called “the most pressing existential challenge of our time.”
Ryan named implementing a “New Green Deal” for Ulster County as one of his top five priorities upon taking office in 2019.
On Tuesday, he said the county will focus on three initiatives: a public/private partnership to encourage businesses to more aggressively reduce greenhouse gas emissions; accelerating efforts to increase the generation of energy through a Solarize Ulster program; and significantly expanding the Green Careers Academy by bringing in more education and training partners and expanding the training programs offered to meet the workforce needs of the county’s growing green jobs sector.
Additionally, Ryan said, the county will continue efforts already undertaken, including the creation of affordable and workplace housing on the site of the old county jail; addressing the county’s opioid crisis; and fighting to bring inpatient mental health services back to HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston.
Ryan said his priorities for the upcoming year were informed by the struggles of the county and its residents throughout 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic.
“2020 was a year of challenge and crisis ... of worry and waiting ... of loneliness and loss,” Ryan said, referring to the county’s more than 10,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since last March and more than 200 deaths from the illness.
In the midst of that tragedy, he said, county residents rallied to help one another and rose to the challenge of addressing people’s needs, guided by values that echo back to those that guided President Franklin D. Roosevelt as he crafted the New Deal that led the country out of the Great Depression.
“Here in Ulster County, in 2021, we must — and we will — continue this work,” Ryan said.