The Philadelphia Citizen
Can Free Cash Solve Philly’s Poverty Problem?
The Worker Relief Fund was the first of two cash assistance programs Philly launched in 2020, its first foray into the national push for UGI to help low-income Americans make ends meet. The other, funded through federal Covid-related housing relief money, is on track to distribute about $60 million to help Philadelphians in need cover the cost of rent, a way to keep them in their homes and still ensure landlords are being paid.
Later this year, the city is planning to use foundation money to launch a three-year rent relief pilot program for 300 families, the results of which will be studied by Penn School of Policy & Practice’s Amy Castro Baker, considered the national expert on cash assistance programs.